


rising royals

by jilyss



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: ALSO. SLOW. BURN., Alternate Universe, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Kind of Depressing, Minor Character Deaths, Slow Burn, angsty, basically its a twist on an arranged marriage and james and lily take over the world, hints of torture, i mean they argue a LOT and then they dont so, if thats a trigger? not sure, like medium. but its there, some graphic violence - not over the top but its there, tw:blood, tw:death, tw:prison
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-19
Updated: 2018-09-02
Packaged: 2019-05-25 16:03:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 43,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14980640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jilyss/pseuds/jilyss
Summary: Lily Evans, a fierce revolutionary leader, meets James Potter, the naive new King, determined to fix her country for the better.arranged marriage au and revolution au





	1. Chapter 1

“Lily,” Severus begged. “You don’t have to do this.”

Lily ignored him and laced her boots tightly. “Too late, Sev. And isn’t this what you wanted?”

“An agreement, yes. But there’s been rumors about you wanting -”

Lily rolled her eyes and walked towards the door. “I’m not going to marry him. He’s a king without a spine and a coward for not changing anything.” She pulled the door open and began walking quickly, Severus following close behind. “I don’t like rioting anymore than the next person and I want to stop it.”

“Lily, you can’t just leave the Order! What if he offers you money, or safety for the rest of your life?”

She turned quickly and he bumped into her. “I’m _not_ going to ditch my people, Sev. But nothing we have done has made a difference, so it's time to try diplomacy.” She wondered if he remembered that was what she had wanted to do in the first place and that it was him who had convinced her that it wouldn’t work. And now, after two months of protests and another month of rallies turned riots, Lily was desperate to try anything new after weeks of unsuccess. So, as one of the leaders of the rebellion, she had agreed to meet with King James, the new ruler of Italy. 

The rebellion had originally started with a small group, just a few people speaking up against their current rulers. Everyday, Lily had seen families torn apart because of poverty, corrupt police using their power for revenge and wealth. She was sick of getting unequal pay, sick of the rich that didn’t care, sick of violence in the streets, sick of children crying of hunger. At that point, Lily was already part of the Order, a select group that targeted petty crimes, but she was so sick of the corruption that she had joined the rebellion believing that slowly but surely they were going to fix her country.

It didn’t take them long to reach the main gate to enter the Palace from her apartment. A guard checked her for weapons, removing a knife from her belt and then escorted her through a series of hallways. When they reached the doors of the throne room, Severus stayed in the main hall, a deep scowl on his face. He was tall and lanky, always wearing a hooded black jacket and baggy brown pants, preferring to blend in. His hair was shiny and just long enough to reach the tips of his ears. He never combed it, preferring to leave it in a mess around his eyes, and today it seemed to hide his face especially well. 

The guard led her to a pair of large oak doors, where even more guards joined them. When she entered, a man was standing next to a desk, reading a pile of worn papers. The guards bowed, but Lily instead crossed her arms and moved to stand across from the desk. As the man waved the guards to the side, Lily took a moment to observe his sharp jawline, dotted with wisps of stubble, before returning to stare at him in his entirety. He looked younger than she expected. Although she knew they were the same age, his father had aged rather quickly under the pressures of the job and she had assumed the new King would look similar. Instead, the new King was tall and well built, with curly black hair falling to his ears. 

Lily, on the other hand, was tall, but King James was much taller than her and much broader. She had red hair pulled into two long braids that fell to the middle of her back and was wearing a long sleeve dark blue shirt half tucked into black pants and a leather jacket.

“Lily Evans, the infamous leader of the rebellion.” He smirked as she stared him down, but his eyes, tired and red, gave his weariness away. “Please have a seat.”

“King James.” She replied shortly, blatantly ignoring his request. “What have you been doing the past three months?” 

His smirk slowly fell away and he sat, his leg bouncing up and down. “Violence is never a good option to change a system.”

Lily frowned. “You had plenty of time to act while things were peaceful.”

“We are working day and night to fix your many requests. I’m trying. Nothing can get done in such a short amount of time -”

“You’re not trying. If you were trying, you would have done something by now, not hiding inside, avoiding the problems of the citizens.” She sounded more disappointed than anything, arms crossed.

He opened his mouth to speak, but she continued, arms crossed. “I’m not here to negotiate, your highness,” her mouth was dripping sarcasm, and his brow darkened. “I speak for the people, _your_ people.”

“And you’re losing control of them.” 

Now Lily was taken back. “Excuse me?”

“You’re losing control, Evans. I’ve seen you try to stop the riots, but they aren’t listening to you anymore. You’re desperate to get your power back.” He gripped the chair, and his eyes bored into her. 

“You’re wrong. I don’t want power.” Her voice had a quiet, threatening edge.

“Then what do you want?”

“Equal pay. Cheaper taxes. Honest police.” She hesitated for a moment and then said firmly, “A democracy. That’s what we want.”

He met her eyes at this, and she stood up, pacing back and forth. “And what would you do, if you were me?”

She knew that his father died only two weeks ago, and if it counted for anything, she thought that a new, younger prince would maybe listen to reason. Severus had disagreed, convincing her to continue with the rallies. But maybe she had been right - he was willing to listen to their complaints, even if he was an ass about it. Potter looked at her imploringly before adding, “No one will just give up their power or money. It would be impossible to get rid of the current council. A new leader won’t change anything.”

“Then lower taxes on the poor, raise taxes on the rich. Make laws about child workplace safety, enforce equal pay between everyone, hire honest police who aren’t on a power trip. People are starving, and kids are dying.” 

Potter nodded, seeming to agree, and Lily was taken back yet again. He reached into his desk and pulled out a piece of paper, smudged with ink.

She took it from his outstretched hand and read it quickly, eyes scanning the jumbled writing. When she looked up, he stood and walked closer to her. 

“Will this be enough for you, your highness?” His mocking tone was evident, and it set her on edge.

Lily opened her mouth, angry and frustrated at his ignorance. “Will this be enough? Have you ever been outside these walls? Do you recognize how desperate we are to fix these problems we face _daily_? This doesn’t even cover half of it!” 

A guard jumped forward, hand on his gun, but Potter turned and briskly ordered all the guards to leave the room. Lily was a little surprised, maybe things were worse at the Palace then she had originally suspected. If Potter trusted her, who was part of a rebellion, more than his guards, he clearly knew something was happening from inside the Palace. Once they leave, he turned to her, speaking quietly and urgently as if someone were listening. 

“The council is around Lord Riddle’s finger. We - I strongly suspect Riddle is threatening them with something. Enough to make them only do what he wants. No new legislation will go through. Despite what the people might think, I don’t actually have the power to put in any laws, as much as I want to.”

“So put in new council members.”

He took the paper back from her, gripping it tightly. “I don’t have the power to.”

“Not by law. Potter - you’re the prince. Who do the guards take orders from?”

His jaw tightened, and he grunted. “It’s _King_ James.”

Lily ignored him, a smile slowly forming on her face. “Fire one of the council members. One of the less important ones. Don’t raise suspicion at first. And if Riddle said you can’t, use the guards to your advantage. Throw him out in the street, hang him, throw him in jail for refusal to comply - but make a statement. Show your authority.”

He glared at her. “I can do it myself. Your leadership hasn’t proven to be all that effective.”

She shot him a look. “Not like your’s has been any better. At least I have the people’s support.” She sighed. “We’re on the same side. This is the only way to get anything done and you know it.”

Potter’s fists tightened and then he suddenly relaxed, with yet another smirk. “And I have Italy’s army at my command if you try to overthrow me.” He stood up, ignoring her last statement. “You are dismissed, Evans.”

Lily scowled and tossed her hair over her shoulder. “I’ll get everyone to back off. You have three days Potter before I expect progress. Or so help me I will throw you in the river myself.”

 

Two days later, news breaks that two of the council members, Malfoy and Carrow had been fired. Severus came to her flat, raging about how “those two were the only good people in the council”. He blamed it on Lily’s talk with Potter, which although true, hadn’t been something she’d actually discussed with Snape in advance. Lily blocked his anger out and wondered if Potter only did it to please her, or if he actually had the right intentions. Either way, she strongly agreed with Potter’s decision. But, Malfoy and Carrow were spineless council members, too afraid to make decisions themselves and dependent on Riddle’s advice. Firing them did next to` nothing. Nevertheless, the next day she walked back to the Palace, pushing aside the queries and questions thrown her way in the street.

As Lily reached the iron gates, a guard stopped her, hand on the hilt of his gun. Lily just crossed her arms in defiance. “I’m here to see Potter.” 

The guard, eyed her up and down, making her wait outside while another was sent to inform the king of her arrival. It was Potter himself, who opened the gate a few minutes later, pulling her inside quickly. 

They wound through the spacious halls, four guards staying close behind them. When they reached his office, he dismissed his guards again and waited until the door shut before he spoke. “Was that good enough for you?” His voice was stressed. His desk was messy, and there was a half eaten lunch on a free corner of the desk. 

“It’s a start. But maybe someone else could do better.”

He met her eyes, forehead creased. “I wish it could be someone else. Evans, if I’m not the leader, the only other possible option is Riddle.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“The only thing that is stopping Riddle right now, or at least before I got rid of Malfoy and Carrow, was my family name. Before the riots, it was more respected obviously -” Lily stepped forward angrily, but he waved his arms and continued. “I couldn’t give a rat’s nest about my family name, but half the people support your rebellion, and the other half are on Riddle’s side. I know you think I’m bad, but I’m not as bad as him.”

“What’s your point?” 

“My point is… look, I know Malfoy and Carrow weren’t even that big of a score for your side. Our side. But if I make changes all at once, I’ll overplay my hand and Riddle will respond in full force. We have to move slowly so we don’t raise suspicion and keep Riddle out of power. ”

“So you’re saying that you're the last thing stopping Riddle from taking over?”

He nodded. 

“And if Riddle takes over, we can’t win the throne back?”

He nodded again. “His followers would all come out of hiding. My sources say there are more than we originally thought.”

Lily took a second to think. “How much do you trust your guards? You said you had the army behind you, but how many are loyal to you over Riddle ?”

His gaze faltered. “Three men.”

“Three? That’s it?” 

“Three that I absolutely trust with my life. Two are my personal guards. The other is the Captain of the army. I have more that I trust but...”

“And you’re sure -”

“I can trust them. With anything.” Potter interrupted quickly. 

“You need more than two guards to protect you.” He shrugged noncommittally and pushed around papers on his desk. Lily sighs. “I’ll send in two for now. Hide them in your room or set up shifts, or something. I can trust them. They’re loyal to me, so they’ll be loyal to you. If you get killed now, we’d have to completely start over.”

He seemed angry at her forwardness, his eyes dark and hooded, but she pushed it aside and sat down, propping her feet on his desk, right next to his discarded crown. “So, what’s the next step?”

Three days later, Payne and Greyback were both dismissed from the council, and a formal announcement was made to the public that “significant changes to benefit the people of Italy are in the works” and urged all citizens to “be patient”. 

Unfortunately, a few Riddle supporters protested, but only the bravest poked their heads out. Snape told Lily it was just a protest, but in a matter of minutes, shop windows are smashed in, two guards are lying in the street, most likely dead, and a small storage shed was on fire. The damage was minimal, but the intentions were clear.

Severus returned with a cut on his lip, but Lily ignored him, slamming the door on her way out of the flat. She tried to stop him from going, but he instead of paying any attention to her, he cussed her out, so she refused to speak with him further. 

The day after, she sent in two of her best guards, Alice and Frank, as extra protection for James. Both were killed in a matter of hours after arriving, found lying dead in a pool of their own blood. 

Despite the fact that they were some of her closest friends, Lily felt numb to their deaths. She didn’t have the luxury of mourning anymore; Her life was spent running around the city, and she barely ate or slept. She went to their funeral nonetheless, but sat, unable to cry or even feel anything. Alice Griffiths was strong, fiercely independent, and Frank Longbottom was her childhood friend and incredibly loyal. Together the three of them had made a perfect team, and they had worked together to dismantle several gangs when the police had failed to step in. 

Lily spent her days running in between the Palace to the Order of the Phoenix headquarters. Only a select few knew of its existence, an underground organization designed to enforce the law where the police couldn’t - or wouldn’t, and fight back against Riddle’s reign of terror on the streets. Before, the relatively small gang led by Riddle supporters had never been a major problem because they tended to stick to drug deals and petty crimes. But recently, it had been gaining support from wealthy and powerful citizens, and there had been an increasing number of attacks on the lower class. At every attack, a grayed paper was tacked to the wall, depicting a snake protruding from the mouth of a skull. It quickly became known as the Dark Mark, and the men who put it up became known as the Death Eaters. Lily spent her nights working with Albus Dumbledore, the Order leader, to take down some of Riddle’s supporters. She had somehow become the face of the rebellion, inspiring hope in some and hate in others. 

Three days after the protests began, Potter pushed through with his Equal Workers’ Rights Act, stating that there will be no discrimination against workers, male or female. It passes narrowly in the council, just barely scraping through between Potter’s and Riddle’s supporters. Lily visited the Palace the next day. 

Potter looked tired and gaunt as she entered his office, a plate of untouched food sitting in front of him. There’s a stack of papers on the floor he’s sorting through, and he looked relieved when she walked through the door. He quickly changed it into a scowl, but Lily let herself feel a little relief at the sight of him as well.

They sat down and began discussing the next move, arguing back and forth, unable to reach a decision until Potter calls in two of his trusted friends, who Lily still hadn’t met.

They introduce themselves as Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, and Remus Lupin. Sirius stood slouched, charcoal hair falling in his eyes. Peter, shorter than the other two, wore a crisp uniform, and Remus was wearing a large jacket, fraying at the edges, hair neatly slicked back. 

Lily explained the situation. “Everyone’s getting worried that we aren’t uniting the Kingdom. They’re worried that he - “ she pointed a finger at James, still frustrated, “- is just getting rid of the council members so he can become a dictator. Since you haven’t replaced all of the members yet -”

“- I can’t replace them yet - I don’t know if they’re loyal to me! I can’t just put someone in the position without making sure they aren’t under Riddle’s influence and yank them out again.”

“And you really have no one else you can trust? Just these two and one other?” Lily gestured towards Sirius and Remus, who were both watching with amused looks. 

He glanced at them. “There are a few others. But -”

“Then do it! Put Lupin in if you need, but I’m sure he at least he has more spine than that Tuffet dunce you put in last time!”

“Fine. But maybe you should join as well, instead of just organizing violent protests with _Snivellus_ every day.”

Lily took a step back, face pale. But it immediately hardened, and she stepped forward, an angry glint in her eye. “I do not want violence.”

“Then tell your _boyfriend_ that.” He was spitting as he spoke, gesturing widely.

“He’s not my boyfriend. And he’s just trying to help.”

“Really, help? Stop defending a Riddle supporter, Evans.” He stepped back, crossing his arms. “Maybe I shouldn’t trust you after all.”

Remus tried to interject, grabbing Lily’s arm, but she threw him off, now in Potter’s face. Her voice was sharp, every word meant to bite. “One word from me and the city is against you.”

He pushed past her, walking around the desk. His face was red, and his fists were clenched tightly. “I’ll put in Peter to replace Greyback. And you can replace Carrow.” 

Lily nodded curtly. Remus cleared his throat awkwardly, cutting through the tension in the room. They all turned it face him. “There’s a... law. It’s been around for centuries and it's a minor inconvenience, but it can only be changed by a King _and_ Queen or with a public vote, although that could take ages and ages -”

“Spit it out Remus,” James said hotly.

He twisted his hands as he spoke. “Lily can’t be in the council unless she’s the Queen.”

“Because I’m a woman?” Lily said, rubbing her face tiredly. Remus nodded. “Unfortunately.”

Sirius spoke up. “Which means… they’d have to get married?”

“Unfortunately… yeah.”

Lily stared at Remus. “There’s no other option?”

He shrugged. “I’d have to check, but the law was pretty clear when it was made. No woman can be in the council unless they are royalty. It’s been around forever.”

Lily swung around to look at Potter, who was shoving his hands deep in his pockets. “Did you know this?”

He shook his head frantically. “No, and Evans, you don’t have to do it, I can find someone else.”

Sirius shook his head. “Who else could do it better than Evans?”

Lily glanced at James, and he met her gaze evenly. His eyes dropped briefly before meeting hers again. Ever so slightly, he nodded, and Lily nodded back. She turned back to Sirius and Remus and said, “If anything... it will unite the people.” 

Remus watched for a second and then frowned. “I’ll double check on the law just in case. Don’t start planning a wedding just yet.” He walked out of the room, leaving the others in silence. Sirius pulled James to the side, talking in a hushed tone, eventually coaxing a laugh out him. Lily sat on the other side of the room, eyes closed, trying to process what just happened. Never in her life would she have imagined that she would be married, so soon, to the King she hates. _This is not what I planned_ , she thought miserably, knee bouncing restlessly. _I’m only nineteen - I shouldn’t be getting married._

Remus walked in ten minutes later, holding a single book. He rubbed his forehead as Lily shot up, desperate for good news. He handed her the book, opening to a page near the back. “There’s only a paragraph about it, but in this case, you need a queen and king to change the law without the public’s input. And we don’t have one, so either way -”

“-we have to get married.” 

Remus shrugged. “Yeah.”

James stood up now, and he backed away. “I can’t - Evans, this isn’t fair -”

Sirius stepped forward. “Mate, it’s can’t be that bad. Just for a year or two, until you can get things figured out. And then-”

James slammed his fist into the wall, becoming angrier with every word. “If I can’t even lead a country on my own, how am I supposed to do it with a wife?”

“Excuse me? You were fine with it earlier,” Lily interjected. 

“This is your fault! You just wanted the power in the first place - you did everything you could to get rid of the council members so that I would have to put you in, you knew about the law, don’t deny it!”

“If I wanted your power, I could have killed you easily when you ordered the guards out.” Her face was red. “And there’s more than a few outside these walls that want to do exactly that.”

“You keep saying that, but where’s your proof?”

“My proof?” she asked mockingly. “Your approval ratings are tragically low because you still don’t have the guts to fix the real problem - Riddle! He’s attacking the lower class -”

“At least I don’t use my newfound power to go for the throne and -” 

Sirius jumped between them as Lily tried to step at James, pushing James away. Remus pulled her back, rubbing her back to try to calm her down.

Lily pushed Remus to the side and stood tall, fists clenched. “I don’t want to marry you. You’re a chauvinistic pig who can’t see past the end of his own nose.”

She stormed out, outraged. Snape’s recent detachment, his growing farther and farther away from her, Potter’s crushing words, Riddle, and the loss of two of her friends, all seemed to be too much for her. She was so unbelievably tired and could barely muster up the energy to be angry.

It was Sirius who found her half an hour later, on a balcony hidden behind flowing drapes. The grey stones reflected the setting sun, and the ivy draped along the stones seemed to relax, fluttering in the lazy breeze. The gentle bustle of the city calmed her down as she watched in silence. 

He sat next to her, observing her posture quietly. “Why didn’t you leave?”

When she didn’t answer, his voice grew stronger. “There’s a war coming, you know.”

She tilted her head back and laughed at the simple statement. Lily nodded. “I know. And maybe it was me who started it.”

“I doubt Lily Evans could have started all of this. This city has been waiting to blow for ages. You were just a catalyst. But… Why did you become the leader?”

She took a minute to think. “I wanted change, and I guess like I felt that I couldn’t do it fast enough as a follower. I feel like I’ve seen generations come and go without making improvements for those that come after. I wanted to do something that actually had an impact. But now, I…”

“Might be remembered as Queen Evans, wife of King James.”

“And I don’t want to be remembered for just that! It’s not enough. Putting in laws through the council won’t do anything, it never has,” she said passionately.

“And if you could have it anyway, what would you do?”

“Overhaul the system completely. A democracy. Public votes. But first a completely new set of laws. If we just rewrite the ones we already have, some crap law will come up to bite us later. A new council, not just made of rich men, so businesses don’t have them in their pockets. And that’s just to start.”

“What about James?”

Her voice was bitter. “I’ll marry him, if that’s what you're asking.”

“You know what I meant.”

Lily sighed. “I… he’s a prat, idiotic, selfish, and unreasonable. But… he’s trying, I guess.”

He snorted. “He tries so hard to please everyone. He’s a good friend, not a leader. At least, not yet.”

“He’s getting better.”

Sirius stared at her oddly for a second. “So what’s the plan, Evans?”

Lily squared her shoulders. “Plan a wedding.”

They planned for the wedding to take place in two weeks time. They don’t mention anything about love and avoid confirming rumors about uniting the public and the royalty. The Death Eaters were becoming more emboldened every day. Shops were closing earlier and earlier, and no one met each other’s gaze on the street. The Order was struggling to keep up; without having a spy on the other side they can’t seem to get ahead of the death eaters. 

When she told Severus about the wedding, he destroyed her room, tossing books around, screaming and cursing Potter’s name. She tried to talk him out of it, even get him to come with her, but he swung his fist and that night, she returned to the Palace with a bag of clothing and a swollen eye. She hid her fear at his actions, but at the same time was too afraid to even return to her apartment. Dorcas, her longtime friend and roommate, had helped Lily move out. Snape was starting to scare her more than she cared to admit. Something in him had changed, and he wasn’t the same anymore.

Her eye healed in time for the wedding, but frankly, Lily couldn’t have cared less about what she looked like. Anne, her maid, helped Lily plan the wedding but had refused to let her wear a jacket and boots and forced her into a simple white dress, with embroidered blue flowers around the edges. James wore a formal suit but glared at her as she took her place next to him. 

“You look nervous,” he hissed.

“You look atrocious,” she whispered back, and Remus nudged her as the priest looked at her expectantly. 

They kissed briefly, exchanged rings, Sirius clapped loudly, and then they go to the ballroom, decorated with heaps of flowers and bouquets. Lily insisted that they invite not just council members and royalty, but also citizens to help show a more united kingdom. Before the night was even halfway over, three fights started, and Lily personally broke up two arguments between council members. Sirius ordered the guards to gently see everyone home, and Remus dragged Lily and James out of the room, shoving them into the hallway, alone. 

Lily couldn’t meet his eyes, while James couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her. But she didn’t see it, silently following him to the bedroom, a grand room decorated in red and gold. Despite having been to the Palace numerous times, she’d never been inside. Her possessions were lying on one side of the bed, no doubt set out by servants. 

“Evans, I’m -”

“I didn’t -” They started talking at the same time, and stopped abruptly. James grabbed a pillow and threw it on the couch. “I’ll take the couch.”

Lily brushed by him and headed into the bathroom to change, the silence cutting through her like a searing knife. Never in her life had she imagined her wedding day, but if she had, she would not have thought it would be like this. Not so full of tension, or disappointment.

She didn’t fall asleep until long past midnight, only minutes before the sun rose, listening to James’ deep breathing and quiet snores. It’s almost comforting to know that at least one of them was alright, at least for the moment. 

Lily woke up as James shuffled into the bathroom the next morning, and quickly changed before he comes out. She slipped out before he could, running into three dead ends before getting to the dining hall for breakfast. Her inability to navigate the majestic castle allows him to beat her there, but he doesn’t say anything, which somehow made it worse.  
After lunch, she attended her first council meeting, arriving with nothing in her hands, and leaving with bleeding palms from clenched fists. 

Late that night, Remus pulled her into the kitchen and cleaned her hands without saying a word, but his eyes were filled with worry.

“Are you okay?”

She merely leaned her head on his shoulder for a minute in response, and then stood up, “Get some sleep. You’re looking a little pale.” 

He watched as she left, shoulders tall, with no trace of pain on her face. Remus and Lily had become good friends since she had begun making frequent trips to the Palace, but she was still afraid to show any emotion or pain, and he couldn’t figure out why. 

Lily returned to the bedroom with her bandaged hands to find James hunched over a pile of papers on his desk, tongue poking between his teeth. She hesitated for a moment, sensing his frustration before grabbing her work and moving to the couch. Lily was still trying to catch up on all of the rules and specific laws that had been mentioned in the council meeting, as well as refresh herself on all of the current issues. Her eyes shut against her will, and her head fell back against the couch. 

When she woke up the next morning, she was lying in bed, with a nightgown on, curled around a pillow. As she registered her change in location groggily, she blushed angrily and shot up, pulling the blanket up to cover her. She grabbed the closest pillow and chucked it at his head, and it hit dead on. 

“Potter! I can’t believe you had the audacity, you scoundrel - “

He jumped up from the couch, and she barely registered that he wasn’t wearing a shirt before he began waving his hands frantically, “No, no, Evans, I would never, I had a maid come and help you, I wasn’t even in the room -”

Lily crossed her arms and glared at him for a second, doing everything she can to avoid looking at his toned, tan chest. She grabbed a book and smacked his shoulder. “I was supposed to sleep on the couch tonight!”

He rolled his eyes. “I’m fine on the couch, and I couldn’t let you lay like that anyways. You’d get a crick in your neck and be even more grouchy.”

Lily huffed and threw the book on the couch. “We can take turns. I’m shorter anyway, it’ll be more comfortable for me than you with your gangly legs.”

He shrugged and walked to the bathroom, running a hand through his mussed hair. Lily couldn’t help but think that he didn’t actually have gangly legs, in fact, they were well built. _Yes, well built, she told herself. I can think that of anyone, can’t I?_

Two weeks passed, and more council members were replaced. After every announcement, Riddle becomes angrier and angrier. Potter tried to ignore his frustration, until Riddle, sitting directly across from him, slammed a fist onto the table. 

“Just because you are the king now, doesn’t mean you get full authority. You don’t get to become a dictator,” he hissed, his eyes flashing dangerously. “Mark my words, Potter, you and your slave will rue the day -”

“Excuse me?” Potter spat, standing up, fists clenched. 

Lily placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled him down, not willing to get in a fight, but also defensive. “I am not a slave, Riddle. I have my own free will, and I could take you out faster than you can say death eater.”

If the room wasn’t quiet before, it was eerily silent now. Riddle sat down slowly, a slight smile on his face, and his fingers clenched together. He gestured to the other council members, who mostly avoided his harsh gaze. “If, that’s what you think, _Miss Evans_ , then you have made an enemy of me.”

Potter tried to stand up again, but Lily forced him back down. “Then take it up with me later. Not now, when you’re wasting our country’s time.”

Lily sat back down, and tried to focus as Remus begins to speak. Sirius gently squeezed her leg under the table, but Potter wouldn’t look at her. 

When the meeting was over, Lily was beyond frustrated. On every single point that she had made, Potter contradicted her, arguing back and forth over every single number and word. By the time it was over, nothing had been accomplished, and Lily was seething. She stormed out quickly, afraid of blowing up in front of the others. 

James turned left once he exits, and Lily followed him back to the room. The instant the door was shut behind her, she began yelling. 

“What the hell was that Potter? You couldn’t get over your hatred for one second to get one thing done today?”

“You were arguing too! That wasn’t just me. You know damn well that -” his hands were fisting in his hair.

“I cannot _believe_ that you wasted an entire meeting because you were angry that I made you sit down.”

“Oh, so it’s my fault? You just told Riddle to screw himself, and then told him to come find you outside of the meeting. Do you know how dangerous that is? What were you even thinking?” He yelled, and shoved the books off his desk and onto the ground, causing papers to fly everywhere.

“You didn’t have to get mad at me for that - I was defending myself!”

“And I was trying to do that too! And -”

“You were doing a great job of it,” Lily said sarcastically.

“- maybe in a way that wouldn’t get yourself killed. Did you ever take a second to think about that Evans?”

“Maybe,” she said through gritted teeth, “if you would have just let me speak in the meeting, I wouldn’t have to do that. Or if you actually had the balls to get rid of Riddle!”

“Yeah, your plan has gotten us absolutely nowhere. It’s you who doesn’t have the guts to go through with it. We need a different plan, and your head is too far up your arse to see it -”

“Oh, back off, at least I have some common sense-”

“You’ve practically SCREWED US ALL OVER AGAIN!” He threw his hands up.

“Again? What’s that supposed to mean?” Lily’s face was red, and she paced around the room.

“You mucked up everything when we got married.” His voice was hoarse, and a hand was in his hair again.

“I DID?” She shouted incredulously. “NOT YOU?”

“You just wanted power Ginger, and I was just too blind to see it. You never had plans to even cooperate, you just wanted to push your agenda on me so you could take over. You weren’t important enough in your other life, so you had to come ruin mine.”

“You’re doing a fantastic job of ruining your own life, so far, _Potter_ ,” she spat. “The council would be a mess without me, and you know it. You can’t control a darn thing, and I’m the only thing keeping you afloat right now.”

 

His chest was heaving, his mouth half open as he stared in shock. Lily ripped open the door. “You’re just an arrogant toerag Potter. No one in their right mind would ever _want_ to marry you.”

She slammed the door, and strode down the hallway, tears streaming down her face. She stumbled down a back set of stair, and down into the training grounds. Head lowered, she runs laps around the dusty track, tears dried and legs burning. She doesn’t stop until she almost collapses, falling into an expanse of green grass, chest heaving and she can’t see straight. Sweat pours down her, and everything’s spinning. She couldn’t think - and that was the whole point. 

When she finally recovered, the sunlight was nearly gone, she’s exhausted, and her legs are so tired she can’t walk properly. As she entered the bedroom, one hand braced against the wall, she saw Sirius standing in the middle of the room, laughing uproariously at something Potter had said, who was sprawled over the bed. Sirius calmed to a smirk as she brushed past him. 

“You don’t look too good Evans.”

“I’m fine.” She wrenched the bathroom door open and stripped off her clothes. She let the water run over her fingers for a second before slipping underneath the cool stream of water. When Lily finally stepped out half an hour later, she wrapped herself in a towel and exited the steamy room. Sirius was still there, and whistled as she walked through the room towards the closet. 

“Nice legs there, Evans.”

She winked and then flipped him off, tossing her dark, wet hair over her shoulder, and opened the closet. When she emerged dressed in a loose blue tunic a few minutes later, Sirius was gone, and James was pointedly facing away from her. She grabbed a pillow and tossed it onto the couch, too tired to even think. The tension in the room was thick, and she could hear him slowly rustling around as he went to bed. Her eyelids closed before she could stop them, and she fell into a dark sleep. 

_She was standing on a cliff, overlooking a black ocean. The waves crashed against the rocks and the breeze carried droplets to her face, searing her skin where they landed. She turned her back from the ocean to see a long valley, with mounds of dirt scattered throughout. She broke into a run, weaving through the piles. Two piles started to move at the same time, slowly at first. Alice emerged, face hollow and shaking off dirt, and then Frank, who’s missing an eye and blonde hair is now replaced with matted black hair. They started to turn in a slow circle around her, but she couldn’t seem to run out of the circle. She tripped and fell, catching herself on a mound, and Alice and Frank were looming over her, reaching, pleading -_

Potter was standing over her, arms folded, and brow furrowed. “You scream in your sleep,” He said crossly.

Lily pushed him away, eyes bleary with sleep. Sweat dripped from her brow and she could feel her heart pulsing rapidly in her chest, aching to get free. Her dreams were always dark, haunting her even in the daytime, but last night, it had seemed especially real. Alice had once told her that she talked in her sleep, although she usually could forget about it the next morning. But this time, her dream was of Alice and Frank, once her two biggest comforts. She shuddered to even think of it, and straightened her back. _Today wouldn’t be the day she would give into her nightmares._ Lily tossed her hair in a braid and changed quickly before grabbing a bite from the kitchens, never having felt quite so alone as she did now.

 

A week had passed and things had still not improved between the married couple. They completely ignored each other now, only exchanging words that strictly concerned business. The council meetings were more productive, and nights in the bedroom were silent. Sometimes James didn’t come back at night, and Lily never asked any questions. Remus, Peter and Sirius had become her close friends in the Palace, although Peter was often away on assignment. The four of them fell into a steady routine - In the mornings, she woke up early to train with Sirius, after breakfast, Remus helped her with her studies, and council meetings after lunch. The work in the council room was tedious and often boring. They never seemed to be able to move past simple squabbles that gained nothing, but when she brought up real problems that needed solving, time seemed to go by a little bit faster. But the mornings were becoming her favorite. Training helped release her anger and frustration, and she loved reading any book and studying the history of Italy. She had gone to school when she was little, but eventually dropped out to work before she finished secondary education. Her vocabulary was limited at best, and she stumbled when reading out loud. Remus was patient, and took time whenever they could to help her. 

The current issue on the council table was wheat trade deals with Egypt, and Lily could hardly care less. They seemed to be dancing away from the real issues the country faced, each man more focused on running his business with cheaper costs. 

She looked around the room as the speaker, a tall, balding man, droned on and on, and then back to her notes. A shout came from the hall, and James glanced back at the door, but returned his attention back to the speaker. Lily glanced at Yaxley, seated next to her, then to Rowle, next to him. Both had their hands on their guns, knuckles white. Raising an eyebrow, she exchanged glances with Potter, who looked equally uneasy. He shifted in his seat slightly, craning his head to look back at Sirius standing guard near the door. 

Just as Lily turned back to look at Riddle, a louder scream came from the hall, and in an instant chaos erupts around them. Yaxley pulled his gun from his holster and aimed squarely at Lily. She threw hard against her chair, falling backwards, and the shot went wild over her head. Lily rolled and kicked Yaxley’s feet out from under him, and sending the gun sliding away. Gunshots sprayed around the room, and James stood next to her, fighting a soldier wearing a black bandana around his arm. 

She cursed as Potter flew backwards from a stray shot, and she prayed it wasn’t fatal. Lily grabbed his arm, trying to pull him underneath the table. A bullet grazed her shoulder, but she doesn’t register it. His breath was coming out in gasps, but the shot was just to his leg, and he hadn’t lost too much blood yet. She dragged him towards the door. From underneath the table, she could see soldiers lying on the floor, some injured, some dead. Remus and Sirius were nowhere to be seen, and she cast a fleeting hope that they made it out alright. 

They crawled to the edge of the table, and Lily helped James crouch. She grabbed a discarded gun from the ground and shot at the legs she could see, then grabbed James, hoisting him up and making a run for the door.

Somehow, they don’t get hit by any of the bullets whizzing around the room. Lily kicked the door open, and fired at another soldier with a black bandana. The man fell to the side, and she threw James’ arm over her shoulder, and pulled him down the hallway. Another soldier rounded the corner and Lily shot the gun again, but he kept advancing. She dumped Potter and hit the ground as he fired. She kicked at his knee, hearing a crack, and before he could right himself, she slammed the fallen gun over his head. He crumpled to the floor next to her. 

Lily grabbed the gun, and then Potter, who was leaning heavily against the wall trying to rip his shirt into a bandage. He’s recovered a little, and this time could limp as Lily supported him. Her arm was hurting like bloody - but she couldn’t think about that right now, she needed to get out. They stumbled down to the kitchens, and she’s pretty sure they were leaving a trail of blood behind them, but the shouts are finally growing more distant. Her heart was pounding frantically and her mind was jumbled with thoughts. Somehow, no traitor guards followed them. 

The maids were hiding in the corner, a soldier standing guard nearby. Lily shot twice, wincing as the maids shrieked in terror. Dropping the gun, she helped James sit down in a chair at the wide table. 

“As your queen, I need your help.” Lily said, throwing a fierce look at them. One maid Lily recognizes, Emily, stood up quickly. She met Lily’s eyes, and nodded. 

“We are at your service, Queen Lily.”

Lily breathed a quick thank you before she scrambled in the drawers for a towel. Emily packed a bag of food and ripped more bandages, as more maids sprung into action. Lily’s not sure what to do once James’ leg was bandaged decently - she knew she had to get out, but she still hadn’t learned how to get around well enough. James tried to explain to her how to get out as Remus barreled through the door, breathing hard. “They’re coming. I don’t know where Sirius and Peter are, but we need to leave. _Now_.”

Lily slung the bag over her shoulder and with Remus’ aid, helped James up. Emily pointed to a small door hidden to the side, designed for servants to use to discreetly move throughout the castle. Quickly, they shut the door behind them. The tiny hallway was lit by a single lamp, and Lily grabbed it in one hand. 

The hallway becomes narrower and narrower, and eventually, Remus has to take James’ full weight while Lily leads the way with the lamp. They go down a set after set of stairs, Finally, a door appears on the right, with light seeping in through the cracks. Lily gestured for Remus to wait for a moment, and carefully opened the door, peering into the courtyard.

“There’s no sign of anyone yet. I’ll get a pair of horses. Stay here,” Lily told Remus.  
Remus called out to stop her but she left before he could say anything. A minute later, Lily poked her head in, and motions for him to follow her. A pair of black stallions fitted with saddles were waiting just outside the door. Together, they awkwardly hoisted James onto the saddle. Lily swung up behind him since she had more experience riding than Remus, and Remus took the other. She tossed the gun to him, reached around James and gripped tightly on the reins and took off towards the Palace gates, Remus close behind. Shouting suddenly grew louder, and a group of soldiers burst from the gate house, each cocking their guns. Lily leaned low against the horse, shielding James with her body and Remus fired the gun twice before they can retaliate. The gate began to slowly move downward, and they were so close. “Remus, go!” She screamed, digging her heels into the sides of the horse. 

The burst of speed was just enough. The heavy metal slammed into ground just as they ducked through. There’s a crowd gathered outside, some watching the chaos, and some even firing at the soldiers. They parted swiftly as the stallions pound by, and Lily thought she even saw a few wave. 

Remus and Lily raced through the streets, weaving in and out of traffic. James stayed  
low against the saddle, trying to avoid the jostle of the horse. Finally, the tight buildings gave way to trees and fields. No one seemed to be following them, so Lily shouted for Remus to follow her, and slowed the pace momentarily.

“Are we going to your parents?” Remus asked when he had caught up. 

Lily shook her head. “I don’t know if I can trust Snape, and he knows where they live.”

Night fell before they stopped. Lily pushed the horses farther than she should, but they could see soldiers behind them several times, and more than a couple times bullets whizz by them. 

“Lily, we’ve got to stop. James’ lost a lot of blood, and the horses are about to collapse.” 

Lily looked at Remus. His face was drawn and pale, and sweat coated his face. “We’re almost there, I promise. We’ll be safe soon.”

Remus didn’t answer, just bowed his head and ploughed on. A few minutes later, Lily saw the house in the distance. She slowed the pace and whispered to Remus to stop. 

Lily swung off the horse, and grabbed the gun from Remus. She knocked three times on the door, and it cracked open, a blonde head sticking out. Lily sagged in relief and the girl quickly beckoned her in. She jogged back, helping Remus swing James off the horse and into the house. 

The room was softly lit by a fire. In one corner there was a small bed, and in the opposite corner, a small kitchen with a half eaten meal. Lily knew that underneath the rug in the corner, there was a small cellar, holding weapons and surplus food. The blonde girl helped lower James onto the bed, clucking softly. Lily began to boil a pot of water, and digging through the cabinets to find fresh bandages. James sat against the wall, silent, but still awake. 

Marlene took one look at Remus and made him sit down as well. Lily explained the situation briefly to Marlene, who took the news in stride. “You heard about the marriage?” 

Marlene nodded, ripping a frayed sheet. “I never really expected you to marry so soon.” She winked and Lily scowled at her. “We did it so -”

“- you could be a council member, yes, I know. Some people think it was actually for love - but anyone who has half a brain realized it was for the country’s benefit. No wanted to see King James go, but they also wouldn’t have exactly minded if someone else took over. Either way, people love you Lily.”

Lily took a breath and continued. “I finally had a chance to really make a difference. We’ve always needed someone at the top to force the lawmakers to see the other point of view.”

Marlene tuted, and handed Lily the bandages. “And how did that work out for you?”

Lily glared at her. She turned to Remus, still rebandaging Potter’s leg. “Remus, meet Marlene, Marlene, Remus.” She pushed her hair out of her eyes. “I met Marlene when I was part of the Order. We used to run missions together.” Lily smiled, “Marlene can charm anyone to do anything. But now she’s in charge of this safehouse, mostly used for things like this.” She gestured at James, who had fallen asleep. Remus nodded at Marlene. “Do you mind if I get a stew going? We haven’t eaten yet, and James could use some food.” 

Marlene bobbed, stood up and brushed her hands off. “I’ll put the horses in the stable. Do you know if anyone followed you?”

Lily shook her head. “We haven’t seen anyone for a while, but I wouldn’t put it past them to keep looking. Better safe than sorry.”

Marlene exited and shut the door quietly behind her. Lily turned to Remus after a moment’s silence. “Are you okay?”

He paused from digging through the cupboards. “Who is Marlene, really? I thought the Order was fake, just a rumor used to give people hope. Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

Lily sighed. “You lot already didn’t trust me. I had a lot against me already, and I wasn’t sure how you were going to react if I was part of an organization that worked directly against the government, more so then the protests. And Dorcas was my roommate, but she wasn’t part of the Order.”

“That’s fair, I guess. Were you the leader?”

“Have you heard of Dumbledore?” Remus nodded. “He’s the brains, really. I wasn’t the leader at first, but over time, I had made enough connections that we decided I had the most influence over the public. I could connect with them too. So I became the public figure.” 

“You just did what this guy told you to do?” He smiled. “Somehow I don’t see you doing that.”

“Before all of the riots and rallies, he operated the missions, assigned partners, decided what was worth the fight and what wasn’t. I organized the rallies, made the big speeches. A month before I got engaged to James, he wasn’t really happy with my connection to the Order and the protests, so I… had to cut ties. He didn’t want it to be against Riddle specifically, just change the unjust laws. When I left, I started organizing more rallies involving everyone, not just the Order.”

“So are you still an Order member?”

Lily played with the fraying sleeve of her shirt, avoiding his gaze. “I’m not sure. A lot of them weren’t happy when I married James anyway.”

“Lily, you didn’t have any choice -”

“-That’s not what they think. They don’t want a council of elites, they want a democracy. And so do I.”

“Then why did you do it?”

There was a pause as Lily tried to choose her words carefully. Suddenly, Remus gasped. “Lily, your arm!”

At his gasp, she stood up, reaching instinctively for her gun, but as his words registered she looked back at her arm. Suddenly the pain seemed overwhelming, and her eyes couldn’t fully register the blood trailing down her arm. 

“Why… How did you not notice? It’s been at least an hour.” 

“I… adrenaline. Remus… I’m feeling...” Lily sat down heavily on the ground. It wasn’t the pain that was the problem - the events had just finally caught up to her, and the shock was just setting in. “I thought it was James’ blood. I’m fine, I just need to eat something.”

Remus grabbed a bowl and rag, helping her out of her stained shirt, leaving her in a blood stained camisole. He gently wrapped the wound with a clean cloth, then handed her a cup of water.

Lily sipped the water slowly and Marlene returned holding the bag of food Lily left on her saddle. “I don’t see anyone, but it’s probably best you stay inside at all times until James can travel. We don’t want anyone to see strangers, especially since all three of you are pretty recognizable.”

They ate dinner and slowly, Lily let what just happened seep into her, her hand shaking as she tried to raise her spoon. 

Marlene sent her a questioning look. Lily shook her head. _This isn’t the first time things haven’t gone to plan._ She told herself. _It will all work out._

Remus finished his soup, scraping the bottom of his bowl. “So, why did you do it Lily?”

Lily let her spoon clank against the dish. She had hoped he would forget about his earlier question and move on. “Riddle wants to make the lower class even more distant from the upper class. And… stopping him was more important than creating a democracy. But as soon as it’s all over, this coup, that’s my next goal.” 

“Well, if it was a coup, it was a poorly staged one,” Remus said.

“Why would Riddle not make sure you three were dead? Or take you as prisoners?” asked Marlene.

Lily frowned, glancing at Remus. “There were no guards outside. Did you notice the one’s firing at us had black bandanas around their arm? If Riddle didn’t want us to escape, he should have had guards around the doors, or even at the border.”

“Maybe he didn’t have enough soldiers on his side,” Marlene pointed out. She heaped a portion into a bowl and sat next to James, shaking him gently. 

“No, we definitely know he has enough support. But Lily, Yaxley did try to fire directly at you. Maybe he didn’t expect us to escape at all, and wanted to draw as little attention to it as possible,” Remus put in. 

No one spoke for a moment until James woke up enough to eat a bite. “What do we do now?” Lily asked hoarsely. No one answered - no one could answer.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James meets the Order, and Lily faces Dumbledore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I basically decided that after a massive first chapter, I'd split it into smaller sections to make it last longer. enjoy!!!!!!!!!

Three days passed. No guards arrived at their door, but Lily didn’t let anyone but Marlene go outside even though the house was cramped and stuffy. James slept most of the time, occasionally waking up to eat or sip at water. Already his leg was healing, but the bullet tore through a muscle, and Marlene guessed that he might have a limp.

When James finally woke up, alert and hungry, they all sat down around him, and began to formulate a plan. The King and Queen needed to take action, and they couldn’t afford to wait any longer. 

Without news about the Palace, they were helpless in the cabin. Two days went by before James was able to travel. The plan was simple if they didn’t run into trouble: they chose to return to the city while the sun was setting, find the current Order headquarters, and find Sirius and Remus. As they got ready to leave, Marlene and Remus helped James into the saddle, while Lily gathered the last things from the cabin and destroyed any evidence someone had been there.

Marlene rode ahead, scouting for any hints of danger, while the others cantered slowly behind her. The journey took much longer going back. Every jolt in the road made James groan, loudly, and Lily was getting frustrated. 

“Can’t you just suck it up for one second?”

“I… can’t…” James said, teeth clenched tightly. He glowered at her as she rolled her eyes at his pain. This time, they all rode separate horses in case they had to flee, and Lily was suddenly grateful she wasn’t sitting behind a conscious James. 

Lily grimaced at him and caught up to Remus, who was riding slightly ahead. Riding tight lipped, and concentrating ahead on Marlene’s dark figure. 

“You alright?” She whispered.

“Fine... I,” He glanced back at James. “I just hope Sirius and Peter made it out. And that James makes it.”

Lily waved a hand, but she had the same worries. “He’ll be fine.”

They slowly made their way into the city, grouping up as they get closer. The fields slowly turned into houses, and then gave way to crowded buildings and dark alleys. The air became thicker as they get further into the city - as if the sweat and stains of the city leached into the air. The group turned down a small street, ridden with trash and dust. Lily slid off her horse when they reached an abandoned factory, complete with boarded up windows and graffiti on the sides. She knocked on the door six times, and after a long pause, slowly opened. A gun sticks out cautiously, and Lily held up her hands in a gentle movement. “It’s Lily, Lily Evans, with Marlene McKinnon, and two guests.”

The man holding the gun lowered it, and cracked the door open wider. He had blonde hair, his broad shoulders filled the frame, and he grinned at Lily as she came in. As he stepped to the side, Lily gestured for the others behind her to come in, and reached out and briefly squeezed the man’s hand. Marlene took the horses around the back, and Remus helped James off. 

Lily slipped inside, and when James appeared behind her, the previous quiet buzz of the room instantly went silent. Remus stood behind her, and James grabbed onto her shoulder for support. The man who opened the door whispered something in Lily’s ear, and her eyes scanned the room. A young woman, wearing a dark shawl and blue dress stood up cautiously, raising a cautious hand. Lily’s face lit up in recognition, and the girl returned the grin, running towards at her and grabbing her in a tight hug. 

The tension broke in the room, and people began murmuring again. Lily pulled the man into a tight hug, and introduced him to Remus and James as Fabian Prewett, and the girl as Emmeline Vance. Marlene comes behind them, and squeezed Emmeline and Lily into a tight hug. 

“This is Emmeline, one our top spies - she’s fantastic!” Lily exclaimed, grinning. James shook Fabian’s hand, while Remus introduced himself to Emmeline.

Fabian began talking anxiously with Lily, waving his hands as he spoke. 

“Dumbledore was in a rage when you actually went through with the marriage. He thinks you’ve wasted your time.” 

Lily shrugged. “We’ve never really agreed on anything.”

He lowered his voice, and James had to strain to hear him. “Some people are upset with your decision as well, and some are even going so far as to call you a traitor to the movement.They say you abandoned the Order for the sake of power. And that as soon as you married, you forgot about us. Even though you aren’t really… really even a member of the Order anymore. And,” He winced. “You never did come visit after.”

Lily groaned and put her face into her hands. “I was busy being a council member, trying to get laws changed, get Riddle out of the picture. I came before I got married but...”

He patted her shoulder encouragingly. “I trust you, but... not everyone thinks that Lily. That equal pay law that got passed has already helped alleviate fears. Still...”

“I’m still a traitor for leaving the order, I know, and I haven’t forgotten all that needs to be done. I’m just trying to do it diplomatically, and not stage a coup, like Riddle.” She sighed, rubbing her forehead. “Do you have any news about that? We’ve been out in the country for days, so I need to catch up.”

Fabian was about to launch into an explanation, when James interrupted loudly. “Do you know where Sirius is? Sirius Black? Or Peter Pettigrew?”

Fabian shook his head slowly. “Sorry mate, I have no idea. Riddle claims no one escaped that room, but if you did, there’s chance others did as well.” James bowed his head, and Lily could hear muttered cursing. 

While Lily was occupied by her conversation with Fabian, Remus looked around the room. It’s a large, old, drafty warehouse with bunk beds pushed against the walls, and boxes and barrels littered around the room. From the outside, it looked abandoned and dilapidated, but on the inside, it was buzzing with energy. The room was lit by soft lanterns hung around the walls, and a small fire crackled in the center. People of all backgrounds sat on the floor, some chewing bread or eating out of cans. Most were watching James, who was still leaning on Remus with intent in their eyes.

After Fabian finished catching Lily up, she grabbed the group and pulled them into an empty corner, helping James sit down on one of the bunk beds, and threw her backpack next to him. She then searched underneath the bed for a box and sat beside the king. 

“Can we find out about any news about Sirius? Or Remus?” James demanded before she settled. Lily held up a hand for patience. 

“Fabian just told me that since the coup, there have already been a lot of laws changing. He’s essentially the dictator now, and anyone who speaks against him is taken away or killed. He’s being called Riddle know or … he-who-must-not-be-named. Fabian’s going to see if he can find out any more information.”

Emmeline cut in. “We think Sirius got out, but we don’t have any connections with him, so we haven’t been able to reach him. We’re still looking for him.”

There was a silence, and Lily cleared her throat. “Is Poppy here? We need to make sure James’ leg isn’t infected.”

“- And Lily’s arm,” interjected James. Their eyes met briefly, and for a second there’s a different, new kind of tension between them, as if a string was invisibly attached between them. It’s different than their tension during their fights at the Palace, and somehow it’s reassuring. Fabian stood up, and the string snapped. “I’ll go find her. She was taking care of Everett when I last saw her.”

Emmeline glanced at Lily. “Dumbledore is expected soon. He’s been trying to gain more supporters.”

“For the Order?” Lily asked, surprised. “He doesn’t like recruiting just anyone.”

“No, just general support. Not the Order necessarily, but he’s trying to get people to speak up. Anyways, by now, most people have heard of the Order so it’s not like keeping it a secret was doing anything anymore.” That surprised Lily even more. The last time she had spoken with Dumbledore, he had held firm in his belief to keep the rebellion quiet and she could have never guessed he would be willing to change his mind.

“Because the more people speak up, the safer we’ll be,” James said. “They can’t  
kill us all.”

“Exactly.” Emmeline smiled at him. “You must be James.”

“It’s King James, actually -”

“Prat,” Lily muttered under her breath. James punched her shoulder, and she yelped in pain. “That’s my injured shoulder, you arse.”

He rolled his eyes, and opened his mouth to speak but got cut off by a prim voice. 

“Ms. Evans, nice to see you’re back.” The woman speaking was wearing a crisp white apron, the cleanliness a sharp contrast to their dirty environment. She turned to James. “I am Madam Pomfrey. May I take a look at your leg?”

He nodded, pulling away from the conversation. Poppy directed Fabian and Remus to carry him over to a station in the back corner, with two beds separated by a curtain. Lily joined them, leaving Marlene and Emmeline to catch up. 

When Potter’s wound had been properly stitched and bandaged, she gave him a sleeping pill to help him rest. As he slowly drifted off, Poppy shoed Fabian and Remus away, closed the curtains, and helped Lily out of her shirt to get a proper view of her injury, leaving her in just a tank top. 

As Poppy cleaned the wound, Lily watched Potter sleep, snoring gently, and for the first time since they had been married, sleep peacefully. But it seemed to be the night of interruptions - the door suddenly opened, and Dumbledore marched through, cloak whipping behind him. His eyes narrowed dangerously as he met Lily’s eyes, and she scrambled for her shirt, throwing off Poppy’s administrations. He walked into his office, a sectioned off corner on the opposite side of the infirmary, and Lily followed him. 

“Sir,” She said, standing straight. 

“You’re back, Miss Evans. Or should I say, Mrs. Potter,” His voice was icy and haggard. Her shoulders sagged at his cold tone. 

“Sir, I know you’re angry with me, but I had no choice, and you -”

“- Don’t make excuses Lily. I know why you think you had to do it, and maybe it was the right course of action, but by doing so,” he glared at her with a more intensely, “you destroyed almost all of our hope in ever getting rid of Lord Riddle and establishing a democracy.”

“This was the only way I could start implementing fair laws, this is what we have been talking about forever!”

“No, we discussed protesting for a democracy for council positions.”

“Which is what I did.” Not that a protest would make the Royals give up their power, She thought bitterly. 

“You turned it into riots.”

“That was the radicals, the death eaters, not me - you know that, Professor. And the protests didn’t work for almost two months, so I switched tactics and used diplomacy to talk to the King. The plan was for him to get rid of Riddle’s supporters slowly, since he couldn’t get rid of Riddle himself yet. Then the King needed to replace them, and I saw my chance and took it. Now I’m on the council. This is my real chance to fix this country.”

He sat down across from her, and folded his hands across the desk. “There is a popular belief amongst the Order that the purpose of your actions was to accumulate power. I trust you Lily, but only because you came back to us, but not every member feels that same way.”

Her head lowered slightly at the truth in his words. Lily had been telling herself that for ages, but even after hearing it from Fabian, she hadn’t really accepted it. Hearing Dumbledore say that she had lost the Order’s confidence made it more real somehow. “So how do I regain their trust?”

His words were slow, methodical. “There’s only one option now. We’ll have to use all of our resources. With Riddle in power, we have only one chance to take the Palace over.”

Lily nodded slowly. “I can do it - we can do it, sir.” She turned to walk out, but his voice stopped her. 

“You have what it takes Mrs. Evans. All of those people, more than you will ever truly realize, are relying on you and King James.”

Lily straightened once more, and left, head held high. She returned to Poppy, deep in thought. By the time she was ready for bed, most of the lights are extinguished, leaving the fire to cast shadows around the room. Marlene was lying sprawled on Lily’s bed, and Remus was on the top bunk. Fabian was on guard duty near the door, and Emmeline was talking to him quietly, sitting on an overturned barrel.

Lily scrounged up a blanket and laid down on the floor, her mind buzzing with plans and ideas. Her body ached from riding so long, and her arm throbbed from Poppy’s administrations. It didn’t take her long to fall asleep, despite all of her thoughts.

When she woke the next morning, a ray of sun shone directly in her eye through a hole in the roof. Only a few people were awake, quietly dressing and eating. Lily quickly threw on her jacket. Although the sun was out, the air was still crisp, and her breath fogged in the room before spiraling towards the ceiling.

Dumbledore was no longer in his office. Lily ate a bowl of mushy oatmeal before slipping past the guard and out the door. The street was quiet and empty, only a few drunkards returning from a long night. Ducking her head, Lily began walking towards the Palace. 

Before she even walked a block from the warehouse, a lone woman, hunched over with age, carrying a basket of bread, stopped her, gripping Lily’s hand tightly. 

“You are, you are Queen Lily, I assume,” she warbled. Her head was covered in a dirty red shawl, her grey hair peeking out. “Dark things are coming for you, dark things. Your shadows will return.” She shook her head and sighed. Lily tried to pull away, grabbing her hand, but the woman’s fingers were crushing. “But I wish you all the best, my Queen. We all wish you the best.”

The woman let go, hobbling past her, and continuing to mumble to herself. Lily stood in shock for a moment before hurrying away, slightly fearful of the woman’s words. Biting her lip, Lily broke into a steady jog, trying to put some distance between her and the old lady.

Before she had even reached the Palace, she could hear distant sounds of clanging and yelling. She hadn’t realized that she was headed towards the Palace, but now that she was here she couldn’t pull herself away. Lily stayed on the other side of the field leading up to the gate, watching carefully as dozens of guards walked the length of the wall. 

It didn’t take her long to realize that the sound was from preparations of war. Workers were building a second wall outside of the gates and a trench just past that. Catapults and machine guns lined the top of the wall. A shout came from above, and for a second, Lily thought they recognized her. But the men rushed past her, their guns banging against their hips. Quickly, Lily turned back, heading towards the warehouse. 

By the time she returned, the street was busier, and a few people had carefully watched her as she walked by. When she turned into the street, she glanced behind her, checking for followers. When she saw none, Lily twisted the handle and walked inside. 

James was talking to Fabian by the door, brow furrowed with worry and a crutch tucked under his arm. Marlene stood opposite, arms crossed. 

They all turn to the door as Lily entered, and each seemed to sigh in relief at the sight of her. Lily smiled as she approached the group. “Is there a problem? Have we found Sirius yet?”

“Where were you?” James nearly shouted. “We thought you were kidnapped or something. You’ve been gone for three hours without telling anyone! ” 

“What? I haven’t, I just walked to the Palace and back -”

“You went to the Palace?” James exclaimed, throwing his free hand up.

“Lily, you can’t go to the Palace. They are looking for you - you might as well turn yourself in!” Fabian said.

Lily held up her hands in surrender, surprised at their reactions. She had honestly thought no one would have noticed, but she realized now that wasn’t going to happen. Her freedom was gone, probably for the rest of her life. “I know, I … just had to see it for myself.”

James nodded in understanding, meeting her eyes briefly. Marlene punched her uninjured arm lightly and whispered “Don’t do that again,” before walking with Fabian back to Poppy, leaving James and Lily alone. 

James hobbled back to the bed, leaning heavily on the crutch, and Lily walked slowly next to him, head bowed and unsure of what to say. Although she wouldn’t let it show, seeing the Palace had shaken her. Their task of taking down Riddle now seemed on a high shelf, impossible to reach. 

“How was it?” He asked. Lily raised an eyebrow, not hearing the question. “The Palace. What has… Riddle done to it?”

Lily helped him sit down and then settled next to him on the bed. “Guards, everywhere. I’ve never seen so many in one place. And there’s a second wall being built, trenches, and guns.” She blew out her breath. It was hard for her to see, but it wasn’t her home like James. He had grown up there, and he still had friends in the Palace.

James nodded. There’s a pause for a while. “I miss it,” he said hoarsely. 

Lily smiled slightly. “It wasn’t my home but… I miss it too.” They lapsed into silence again, but this one seemed different, almost comfortable. 

James broke the quiet. “You can’t go wandering alone. People recognize you, even if they would never expect you to be walking next to them.”

“Yeah, I noticed.”

James looked quickly at her. “Did someone talk to you?”

“An old lady,” Lily smiled. “She told me I had dark things coming for me. But anyone could have told me that. We’re about to go to war.”

James glared at her careless attitude and gripped her hand tightly. “Lily… just promise me you won’t go out without a guard, or me, again?”

Their eyes connected before Lily responded, “How helpful would you be in a fight, in your condition?” When James failed to answer, she continued, “I can take care of myself, thanks.”

She started to stand up, but James started talking again, and something in his voice made her stay. “I went out alone once. It was twilight, so I thought I had enough light to go do something, be independent for once, and then back before it got too dark. But it got dark, and someone recognized me when I asked for directions. They followed me until I was alone and then jumped me. I only had a few dollars, so when I couldn’t cough up anymore, he beat me up. I was fifteen, and I had a black eye for three weeks.” He pointed to a scar on his upper lip, just barely visible. “That’s where I got this.”

Lily shrugged. Honestly, he was lucky. If he had run into a different crowd, he could have been used for ransom or taken as hostage. “I’m sorry, but I’ve fought off a few thieves before. I’ll be fine.”

“But not as a Queen -”

“I didn’t grow up in a protected family like you,” Lily said scathingly. Her body had the scars to prove it. “I didn’t have guards to help me when I couldn’t defend myself. I’ve lived on the streets my entire life. I’ll be fine, Potter.” She stood up, and walked away, leaving James alone again.


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily meets with Severus again. Not much of james and lily but I promise it's coming soon!!!!!!!!!!

Dumbledore returned an hour later, speaking briefly with Fabian before moving to his office. Lily was sitting on her bed, pouring over a map of the Palace, doing her best to concentrate. Emmeline approached her a minute later. 

“Lily? Dumbledore asked that you meet him in his office. And that you bring the map as well,” Emmeline said. 

“Did he say what for?” Lily asked Emmeline, standing and brushing her pants off. She shook her head in response and turned to talk to Fabian nearby. 

Lily folded the map up and walked over to the small office. James was inside, sitting on a stool with his crutches leaning against the wall, speaking quietly to Dumbledore. 

As she entered, Dumbledore lifted his head and nodded at Lily. “Mrs. Potter, thank you for coming so quickly.” He held out his hand for the map, and Lily held it out to him. 

“We believe that the best course of action at the moment is to build as much public support as we can. The Order numbers are small, but if we can get people to see the rebellion as a real possibility, we could become a serious threat to Lord Riddle,” James said. “I think that you need to go back out. They’ve lost faith in the Queen, but maybe seeing Lily Evans, rebellion leader, will inspire them. Especially since they think you’re dead at the moment.”

“That would expose the Order.” Lily turned to Dumbledore. “I thought the whole point of the Order was to stay low, protect without drawing attention… that was the reason we started it.”

He nodded. “Yes, however, times have changed. Riddle has control now, we won’t be able to achieve equality by working in the shadows. Our time to act is now. If we wait much longer, the soldiers will strike more fear into people, and few will brave enough to speak out.”

“So what do you want me to do?”

At this question, James ran a hand through his hair. “I think Dumbledore’s idea is insane, and there are probably a hundred different better options. It’s bad enough you have to be out there gathering support again, you will already have plenty of danger and a huge target on your back, especially since you have a royal title. And -”

“James,” Lily interrupted. “What do you want me to do?”

“Dumbledore wants you to talk to Severus Snape.”

Lily let her head tilt back, and a heavy sigh escaped her lips. She had finally distanced herself from him and now they wanted her to go back? She slowly faced them again, crossing her arms. “Fine.”

“No!” James shouted, slamming a fist on the desk. “He is a traitor to the cause! And he hit you, Lily, how can you trust him?”

“I don’t believe Severus is directly responsible for any of this,” Dumbledore said, watching the two over his rimmed glasses. “He is heavily influenced by Lily, and he knows about the Order, and hasn’t turned us in yet.”

“But Lily, he’s been spotted in the Palace recently, talking to Riddle himself.” James watched her reaction carefully. “He’s hurt you once before, he could easily do it again.”

“I can handle myself, James.” Lily spat out. “Get that through your thick skull.” She turned away from James to face Dumbledore. “So I talk to Severus, but where would that get us?”

“Talk to him, make sure he’s on our side. He has some sway over the public as well, and he could possibly give us some information about Riddle’s plans. At the same time, we will increase your visibility. Walk the streets more, visit old friends and family, let everyone know you are back.” There was a clatter from outside, then a shout. Dumbledore stood up. “I will be back in a moment, I believe Mr. Haley has returned.”

Lily bowed her head as he swept by, chewing on her lip. The instant Dumbledore left, James rounded on Lily. “You can’t go talk to him.”

“You can’t make me do anything, James.”

“Oh, so it’s James now? Evans, I don’t understand a single thing about you. You want to willingly go talk to the man, who hurt you and kicked you out of your own apartment, who you obviously cared about as more than just a friend, on the off chance he won’t turn you into Riddle?”

“Is that what this is about? Jealousy? You think I ever loved him?” James didn’t meet her eyes. “He may have wanted that, but I have never reciprocated his feelings in the slightest. And to be fair, you’re the one always gone at night, it’s not like you don’t have other lovers. I’m not blind.”

James rose to his feet, leaning on his good leg for support. “I have never had an affair outside our marriage, Evans, don’t even think that.”

Lily waved him off, but honestly, him saying that had surprised her. “I could care less what you do. But I’m going to talk to Severus, and you are just going to have to deal with it. This could be important, especially if he can give us information. We could finally have the edge we need to overcome Riddle. You’d be a fool to think we can do it by ourselves.”

“And what if he turned you in?”

Lily frowned. “He wouldn’t do that, but... even if he tried, I won’t let it happen.”

There was a heavy silence, and Lily leaned against the desk, pointedly looking away from James. Dumbledore returned a moment later, and Lily informed him of her final decision.

And so within a week of escaping the Palace, Lily set out to return to Riddle’s territory. The sun had just begun to set as Lily slid into her jacket and boots, tying the laces tightly. James stood at the exit, arms folded, hair askew. 

“Evans…”

“Don’t even think about it, Potter. I’m going to fix this mess you’ve put us in,” She bouldered past him, mind set on one thing. 

But as she walked towards her former apartment, she began to have second thoughts. Lily touched her cheek gingerly and remembered how Severus had struck her a few weeks ago. Her friend had changed. And even before that incident, Lily hadn’t agreed with him on almost anything, and he seemed to be gone more and more. He seemed to encourage the violence at the rallies, and disappear when she needed help calming the crowd. They had fought almost constantly towards the end, but still, she hadn’t been able to force herself to get rid of him. Frowning, Lily tugged at the collar of her coat. He’s still my friend. I can trust him, she told herself once more. But James’ worries were seeping into her own thoughts, and she retreated deeper into her jacket, nervous about what would happen when she reached him. 

“Sev, this first protest is supposed to be calm, a demonstration to show the new King that we can settle this peacefully,” Lily was saying, walking down the backstairs of their apartment. They were heading to the Palace gates, where Lily was speaking for a protest. Lily and Fabian Prewett had worked day and night the last two days, talking to everyone and anyone, making posters and signs to spread the word. Rallies weren’t uncommon, but the old King had never listened to any of them, and rarely even bothered to release a statement concerning them. When Fleamont Potter passed away, Lily realized that the new King may listen and respond. It was a fleeting hope, and honestly, Lily didn’t expect much.

Severus slammed the door behind him, eyes hooded. “He’s already showed that he can’t do anything for us.”

“It’s been two days, and he’s probably still grieving over his dad. Give it a few days, yeah?” Lily stalked down the street. Severus had been the one to suggest the protest in the first place, but the next day had staunchly opposed it. “Don’t do anything stupid, alright?”

Snape sneered and looked over his shoulder, then grabbed her wrist and pulled her into an alley. 

“Sev, let go!” Lily said, trying to pry his fingers off, but his grip was tight. Her eyes pricked in pain. “What are you doing-”

“This isn’t going to work Lily. People are too angry about the Potters that if you get into this, you’ll never be able to get out of it, even if it goes south.” He looked over his shoulder yet again. Lily tried to twist her hand out, frustrated, but he didn’t let go. 

“What do you want me to Sev? The Order isn’t doing anything past busy work - it’s time to finally do something else!” He finally let go of her wrist. “What is wrong with you? You were fine with this until yesterday!”

He glared. “Why isn’t the Order enough for you? There are other people that could get rid of the Potters completely, and problem solved!”

Lily threw up her hands in frustration, and tried to shove past him, but he grabbed her again and threw her against the wall. “You want to kill people now? What has happened to you Severus?”

“Just… Lily, just stay out of it, ok? Let other people handle this. You should just stick to taking down the Dolohov gang for now.” Lily was seething now, and Severus was still blocking the way. She pushed by him and stepped on the street. He didn’t follow her, and she didn’t see him until after the disastrous protest. 

The walk was long. Over the centuries, the city separated into two. At first, smaller shops and housing were located on the west side of the river, with the Palace. As the city grew, larger businesses and factories required more room, so they expanded across the river. The rebel warehouse was on the far east side of the river, right in between a large stable and a hotel. The slums, dirty and in disrepair, weren’t far from the factories, making it easy for the working class to get to work. Bars and brothels lined the streets, thieves and drunks roamed the streets at all times of the day, and the factory smoke coated the air. The blend of lifestyles, away from the Palace, was the perfect cover for the Order. 

When Lily had first left her family, she had gotten a job at a bakery, and lived in the tiny apartment above. As she had become more and more involved with the Order, she had quit her job, but continued to live in the same apartment. Dorcas had moved in with her shortly after, and Severus had stayed at her house occasionally, although Severus and Dorcas did not get along often. She and Dorcas slept on the beds, and Sev typically slept on a cot on the floor. 

It had only been a few months since she had last been in the flat, but some things had already changed. The apartment across the street was painted a fresh coat of white paint, and the dilapidated shed next to it torn down. The bakery had a new sign, and a help wanted sign hung in the window. She avoided the bakery entrance and held her hands over her eyes. At the back of the bakery, a set of rickety steps led upstairs to the dingy apartment. Lily climbed to the top, and knocked on the door, not sure if she should expect Dorcas or Severus. There was no movement for a minute, until she heard a creaking step and the door cracked open. 

“Lily?” Severus stood at the door, eyes wide with surprise. “What are you doing here? Or should I say, Queen Lily?” He sneered.

Lily folded her arms. “Can I come in?”

He hesitated, but then held the door open, and she stepped past him. The room was cluttered. Three beds were crammed against the wall, each unmade and messy. Books lined the walls, and diagrams were tacked to the wall. Snape hastily threw a sheet over them, and then turned to Lily. 

“Where’s Dorcas?” Lily asked, eyeing the room cautiously. 

“Moved back with her parents,” Snape said, wrinkling his nose as if she was dirty water he was glad to be rid of. “Why are you here?” He asked, watching her carefully.

“I’m not going to apologize, we went our separate ways,” Lily snapped. She took a deep breath. 

“I… am sorry, for what I did, Lily.” He seemed remorseful, but Lily just nodded. “That doesn’t make it ok,” She said. He nodded quickly. “Yes, I know, and I really am sorry, but Lily… you betrayed me.”

“I’m not here to argue, Snape,” she cut in, voice shaking ever so slightly. He’s wrong, he knows he’s wrong, but he’s saying sorry anyway. She thought. Lily opened her mouth, intending to get straight to the point, but another questions popped out instead. “How come you aren’t surprised that I showed up, alive?” 

“Riddle may have told people you were dead, but there wasn’t any funeral, and no one saw your bodies. I never actually believed you had died.” She thought about that, and then sat on a chair leaning against the wall.

“Lily… come back. I miss you. We used to be friends. I can help you fix this.” He passed a hand over his face, eyes weary.

“We were never friends, Sev, I was just too blind to see it.” She took a deep breath. “I came here because I need your help.”

“I don’t know what you are talking -”

“You were, you know, talking with Riddle. We know you’re on his side.” He tried to interrupt but she held up a hand. “Don’t deny it, Severus… We need you to help us.”

“And why would I do that? What has the Potter family ever done for me? Lord Riddle could fix all of this, make the country right again, give me a fresh chance, away from my lunatic parents. Fleamont Potter couldn’t - didn’t, but Lord Riddle can.”

Lily stood up. “But Sev, I know you don’t believe that. Riddle will only reward his servants by putting them at the top; he will ignore the rest of us. At least when I was in the council, we were doing something to fix that.”

“No, you left me Lily! You left me to go live with Potter in a perfect relationship and with food and a bed every night. I was stuck here watching you squabble over trading rights, wondering if you would ever come back. And maybe, Riddle will get something gone - get rid of the scum who fill our streets. The ones too weak to help themselves and rely on the rich for support. It’s only natural selection.”

Lily visibly recoiled. “You want to get rid of me? Severus, you used to be one of those ‘scum’ as well, you know it’s not your fault you were in those circumstances - hell, even Riddle didn’t come from a wealthy family.”

“You wouldn’t be included in that of course. I can protect you.” He seemed almost relieved to tell her this, and his shoulders lifted slightly. But Lily just grew angrier, her nails digging into her palms. 

“You really think you can buy me out of this? I’m right in the middle of it, I’m the Queen, and if you think you can help Riddle and spare me, you really are thick, Snape.” She kicked the chair away in disgust. “You always belittled me, and used me to get on everyone’s good side, and I was too blind to see it. No one trusted you, and the one person who did, got hurt. You hit me Sev. We weren’t friends.”

Silence fell over the two, and a long minute passed. The wind whistled through the old chimney, and through the window, Lily could see the sun had fully set, with the moon slowly emerging from behind clouds. 

“I can help you, Lily,” Severus finally said, rubbing his hands together.

“Oh really, how?”

“Mulciber has been doing dirty jobs for Riddle, and he’s asked me to help with some.”

“And have you?”

“Lily, I didn’t have a choice…”

She rolled her eyes, “Sev, you always have a choice.”

“You don’t understand Lily, you never did I didn’t have a choice. Besides, I wasn’t given a lot of information. Mostly just moving items from place to place. ”

Lily pressed him for more information, running a hand through her hair. 

“I can show you how to get into the Palace. There’s a single entrance with only a few guards. You just need the password, but it changes every day. The only way to find out what it is is if you get a specific invite from Riddle himself, or any of the council members with Riddle’s permission. Unless…” He stopped, thinking for a minute. “The main entrance is more heavily guarded, and now servants use that gate. The servant entrance is now used for Riddle only.”

Lily tapped her foot impatiently. “Do you think you could get a group in?”

“How many? You’re going to need a lot to take over the castle and you won’t be able to get that many inside.”

“Enough to get a lay of the land. We need to find out where Riddle’s headquarters are, and what protections he has around him.”

“Maybe… I could tell you. I have access sometimes.”

Lily frowned. “I would trust you Sev, but I don’t think the others would. They want to see it for themselves, then they’ll trust you.”

He nodded. “On Thursday, at noon, I can sneak three people in, and out. But Lily, don’t come, alright? If something goes wrong...” He trailed off and looked at the floor. 

“I’m coming Sev. I know that Palace better than almost anyone else in the Order, and I can look after myself. And, I’m the insurance that you don’t turn us in.”

She stood up and gave him a small smile. “I’ll be here on Thursday.” She opened the door, pulling her jacket tight. “And Sev?” She paused slightly. “Thank you.”

Lily shut the door tightly behind her and walked down the steps, around to the front of the bakery. The air was colder, and the neighborhood seemed more frightening, so she hurriedly walked back to the warehouse, keeping her hood tight around her.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> enjoy and maybe leave a comment/kudos? :)))

On the walk back, it began to rain. It was eerily quiet as she wove through the cramped streets. Nightfall drove nearly everyone inside nowadays, and the rain kept even the bravest from venturing outside. By the time Lily returned, her jacket was soaked through, and her hair, now a darker shade of red, was plastered to her face.

Lily was shaking by the time she knocked on the door to the warehouse. Marlene was standing guard, and laughed at her friend. 

“You look like a wet sock, Lils,” She said, handing her a towel. When Lily didn’t smile, she lowered her voice. “That bad, huh?”

Lily shrugged. “I didn’t really think it would bring up bad memories, but it did. Sev and I went separate ways. I don’t know if I can really trust him anymore.” Lily took a moment to look around the building. It seemed busier than normal, but Lily couldn’t tell if it was just the rain that had forced everyone indoors. 

Lily turned back to Marlene. “I’ll fill you in a minute, okay? I need to go report and change my clothes.” Marlene squeezed her shoulder encouragingly and murmured goodbye. 

Lily moved past her and stripped off her soaping jacket, hanging it next to the fireplace. James was laying on the bed next to her, and she spoke with him briefly before he followed her to Dumbledore’s office. Isabelle Hart exited as they knock, and Lily hugged her quickly, smiling warmly. The two of them had worked on a couple of missions a few years ago until Isabelle hurt her leg, and since preferred to take a smaller, quieter role in the Order. 

Lily immediately launched into her explanation of her meeting with Severus, but Dumbledore stopped her before she gets very far, and fetched Kingsley Shacklebolt and Alastor Moody, two other prominent Order members. Once everyone was settled, Lily began her explanation. She left out the personal details and their fight but included all of the important information. 

“... Sev has been helping Mulciber, one of Riddle’s main men with some jobs. He claims didn’t know a lot about any of them, and that he was forced into it. He also said that he can get three people into the Palace. It’s not enough to do anything, but we could get a better idea of the Palace layout, and what Riddle has done with defenses on the inside. If we decided to… trust him, we have to meet him at the back of the bakery on Thursday, at noon.”

“And do you? Trust him, I mean?” James asked. 

Lily glared at him because of course, he would ask the question she was, herself, struggling to answer. She sighed. Her emotions were all over the place because of her conversation with Severus, as if she couldn’t quite process it. He was hiding something, he had made that obvious, but Lily couldn’t decide whether to trust him or not, and that hurt her more than she thought it would. They had been really good friends, after all, he was the one to convince her to move out, and helped her through her fights with her sister. Her eyes were stinging as she replied, “I have no idea.” She blinked quickly and raised her head. “We used to be friends, but he’s showed that’s clearly not the case anymore. At the end, we never really got along, and he was always trying to use the protests as an excuse to fight or show off. He knows about the generally idea of the Order, but he hasn’t thrown us in the hole yet… But he’s hiding something.”

“So why don’t we just get rid of him? If he’s a possible traitor, we can’t just let him go ahead and do it,” James interrupted. 

“What do you suppose we do? Throw him in the river and hope no one sees? Stage a robbery and murder him in the process?” Lily folded her arms and raised her chin angrily. 

“I think what His Highness is suggesting,” Kingsley said calmly. “Is that we make sure Severus Snape is on our side first before we trust him. And if we can’t trust him, we can just take him prisoner.”

Lily felt a little foolish. Of course, James wouldn’t actually want Severus dead, and she’s surprised she even expected that of him. But instead of owning up to her mistake, she just avoided James’ gaze as Dumbledore continued talking. 

“Lily, can we trust him to get us into the Palace?”

She took a deep breath, weighing her options carefully. There was a chance of it going either way. Severus had made it clear that he agreed with Riddle, but not necessarily his methods. He had told Lily himself that it would be good for the city to get rid of those who couldn’t take care of themselves. Natural selection, he had called it. But, even if he did agree with Riddle, Lily knew he wouldn’t hurt her. That she could count on. Biting her lip, she made a decision. 

“Yes. But only if I go. He trusts me and will help me, but if someone else goes instead, he might not feel such loyalty if we get in a tight spot.”

“The downside to that is that you’ve already seen the Palace. We could be sending someone who doesn’t, get more people familiar with it. On top of that -”

“- I’m recognizable.” Lily chewed on her lip. “I don’t see a way around that though.”

Slowly, everyone nodded in acceptance. “So Lily, Fabian - our top spy - and either Kingsley or I,” Moody said. “And we should also try to find out where Peter and Sirius are located, if they are still in the castle. If we can find either of them, there’s a lot of soldiers loyal to them specifically, and they’ll listen to what they say.”

“And I’ll find a way to cover my face somehow,” Lily said. “Now what’s the plan once we get inside?”

The meeting continued for another hour, and by the time it was over, Lily was numb with cold, and her stomach was clawing at her insides. James left without a word, so she walked over to the empty kitchen. A small fire crackled in the hearth, casting a warm light over the brick oven. She scrounged up a crust of bread and some butter, shivering as she tried to chew quickly. Nearly every Order member, including those who were in the meeting with her, are asleep by the time she collapsed on her bunk.

Marlene was still waiting up for her, reading a book while leaning against the wall of the bunk bed. Lily peeled her wet clothes off and crawled underneath the dry covers. Marlene laid her head back and crossed her legs. 

“So, how was it really?”

Lily shrugged, and then yawned. Her stomach was still growling, and her wet hair was sending chills down her spine. “I made it clear we aren’t friends anymore. He thinks… Well, you know how he used to talk, like he was kind of better than everyone else, right? He’s one of Riddle’s followers now, and he thinks that the entire lower class should be cut out. Everyone but me, anyway. He’s forgotten that he used to be poor too. Somehow, with just a little bit of power, he’s gotten carried away and now he’s suddenly better than all of us.”

“And you told Dumbledore all of that? And James? Your husband?” Marlene snickered at the last word. 

Lily buried her face in her pillow. “How did I end up here, Mar?”

“You mean married to the King? In charge of a rebellion? And, the rebellion relying solely on your relationship with Severus Snape?” Marlene chuckled, but quickly quiets, looking around at the hushed room. 

Lily groaned into her pillow. “Why didn’t I ever listen to you? He was a creep, and he was practically living in the same house as me!”

“Oh come on, you had some good times with him… I think. But Lily, you were friends, and he was a good person, to you at least. He just… got influenced by the wrong people.”

“And I could have helped him, maybe I could have saved him.”

“Yes, and maybe pigs will eventually fly. My point is Lils, not everyone can be saved. Some people were just… rotten from the beginning. And maybe Snape wasn’t like that, but he made his own decisions, and you made yours,” Marlene pulled her blonde hair into a plait as she spoke, tucking stray strands behind her ears. 

“Severus is going to help three people get into the Palace two days from now. Just to get a lay of the land, see if we can find Sirius or Peter, and what defenses Riddle has put up.” Lily looked back at Marlene. 

“And do you trust him?”

“If I’m there, I trust him. But if I’m not… I’m not sure what he’ll do. So of course, James isn’t happy with that.”

“Why?”

Lily shrugged. “I don’t know. He gets upset if I do anything dangerous. I think he’s just jealous because he’s stuck here with a crutch.”

“Mm.”

“Mm?” Lily snorted. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means ‘Mm’.”

Lily pulled the covers even tighter. “Go to sleep Marlene. You’re clearly daft at the moment.”

Marlene grinned and slid off the bed. “Night Lils.”

“Night Marlene.”

It took Lily another hour to fall asleep. Her mind is full of confused thoughts, twisting between James and Severus, and then to the missing Sirius and Peter. In her short stay at the Palace, both Sirius and Remus had become good friends, each in their own way. Remus was more of a calming, rational presence, helping her to calm down after a fight with James, or a long day in the council. Sirius helped her train, and it released some of the pressure that had suddenly fallen on her when she had become Queen. Peter had also been a good friend of hers, with a quick wit and laugh. Together, the four of them had become good friends. When all five of them were together, Lily and James didn’t fight as much because they could avoid speaking with one another. Without them, things were chaotic. Although it wasn’t confirmed, Lily knew Peter and Sirius had made it out of the Palace.

Her thoughts then moved to James and Severus. Despite never meeting, they seemed to despise each other above all else, all though in James’ case, she couldn’t exactly understand why. Severus had always been bitter towards the royal family, blaming his personal family problems on them. Although he tried to explain his aggravation to her many times, she had never fully understood. In the past few weeks, Lily had learned that James wasn’t so bad after all. A prat yes, but he wasn’t the monster she had made him out to be.

She slowly drifted off to sleep, the scratchy wool blanket tucked around her. In the bunk beside her, she could hear James’ gentle snores and Marlene’s deep breathing above her.

It was Poppy who woke her the next morning, shaking Lily awake. The sun hadn’t fully risen yet, but most of the Order was waking as well. A fire roared nearby, and the gentle clang of silverware signaled breakfast. 

Lily rolled onto her side, then sat up, aching from the cold night. 

“Lily, or Mrs. Potter, could you please wake James and tell him that he needs to take his medicine at once. I also need to rebandage his leg, and he is refusing to even get out of bed,” Poppy said and handed her a small cup full of pink liquid. “Please tell him to meet me in the infirmary. I would also like to check your arm.”

Lily rubbed at her eyes as Poppy walked away, then looked over at James. “Royal git,” she muttered. Lily shook him roughly. “Wake up, Potter. We have a busy day ahead, it’s time to get moving.”

He groaned, his head slowly rolling around until his eyes opened and his brown eyes met Lily’s bright green. Infuriatingly slowly, he sat up, taking the medicine from Lily’s proffered hand. She pointed to the infirmary and tried to comb through her hair with her fingers. “Go. You shouldn’t have even kept her waiting in the first place.”

James rolled his eyes and choked down the medicine. Lily grabbed her jacket from the fireplace and swung it around her shoulders, over her loose undershirt. Her pants were still damp since she was too tired to hang them up last night, so she grabbed her other pair and moved to the privacy of a curtain. 

When she emerged, James was hobbling over to the infirmary. She followed him over, rolling up her sleeve to show Poppy the injury. Poppy sat James down, but then turned to Lily. It only took a few moments for her to rebandage her arm, almost completely healed by now, and in that time, Lily shot a smug look over her shoulder, gloating at James, who responded with a scowl. Old habits are hard to break, after all.

Once Poppy lets her go, Lily, feeling slightly guilty for all of their arguments recently, fetched James a bowl of oatmeal and a piece of bread. She sat next to him in the infirmary once Poppy has moved away from him, and handed him the food. 

Hungrily, she downed her oatmeal, and he did the same. “How much longer until you can walk without a crutch?” She asked.

“At least a week. It’s healed for the most part, but it still hurts like the devil to put any weight on it.” He sighed and brushed the bread crumbs from his pants. “And I’ll probably have a limp for the rest of my life.”

Lily opened her mouth to say she sorry, but was interrupted by Emmeline Vance approaches them, asking for Lily’s help. Lily swallowed one last quick spoonful of oatmeal before shoving the bowl in James’ direction and following Emmeline out of the room. 

The warehouse slowly became busier over the course of the morning. Before she had left the Order, Lily had know almost everyone, but now she recognized only a few. Fabian was directing all of the beds to be pushed into one corner, with narrow rows in between to create more room, and small walls erected for families. A large forge was being set up in the corner, with four men working diligently to start a fire. 

“Won’t the fire create smoke?” Lily asked Emmeline. Things had changed in the Order, and it surprised her almost hourly. Dumbledore had been very strict when she was an avid member. “I mean, won’t the smoke be visible from the outside?”

Emmeline nodded, placing her hands on her hips. “Dumbledore requested it. It’s more important that we have enough tools for whenever we stage our attack at this point than it is to hide this place. Besides, people have been coming and going from the place for ages. Most of the neighbors think we’re all just homeless anyway.” 

Emmeline got called away a second later, and Lily wandered over to her bunk. James was sitting on his bunk, a map of the city spread around him. 

“Were you waiting for me?” 

“Who said I was waiting for you?” Lily raised her eyebrows and he relented. “Dumbledore wants to discuss the plan again tomorrow. And…”

“And what?”

“I wanted to … apologize. For saying that you couldn’t do things by yourself.” Lily looked at the ground. James ran a hand in his hair again, making the ends stick up. “And I’m sorry for not trusting you. I guess- I guess I thought that you didn’t have enough experience because I’d been helping you train to be Queen, so I assumed you needed help with this too. But… this if your area of expertise Lily, so I should just trust you.”

Lily crossed her arms and shrugged.

He finally met her eyes. “Shouldn’t you apologize to me too?”

Lily scoffed. “For what? As I remember, you were the one who called me a greedy, power hungry leader.”

“And you were the one that called me a useless king who couldn’t control a damn thing.”

“Oh.”

“Mm. Oh.”

Lily bit her lip, silent for a moment. “I guess you’re right. I made it pretty rough for you, even before we got married. I just assumed you were awful because you were the king, and I blamed Riddle on you. It was unfair of me… and I’m sorry.”

“Accepted. And I’m sorry for calling you a ginger power hungry leader,” he paused. “Actually, I’m not sorry for the ginger bit.”

Lily rolled her eyes. James laughed and began limping towards the office, and she fell in step with him. 

Lily knocked on the door a second later, and Dumbledore ushered them inside. Fabian was seated across from the desk, and both Kingsley and Moody arrived a minute later. The plan was skeletal when they start, but the details were all fleshed out by the time they left, with strict instructions from Dumbledore. 

 

It was early when Lily woke up, but this time, she’s the only one awake. She slipped into her clothes, fighting off the morning chill, and padded quietly over to the stairs set at the back of the warehouse that lead up to the roof. It’s not used often, but Lily, Marlene, and Alice used to sleep up here when there was warmer weather. The door to the roof creaked as she pried it open, and she stepped out into the cold. It was empty, save for a few old chairs Alice had dragged up once. Lily grabbed one and set it on the edge of the roof so that her feet hung dangerously over the edge. The three of them used to do this all the time, dangling their feet for a thrill, and talk about anything and everything together. It didn’t seem her to give her the same thrill now, especially without Alice.

The city below her feet seemed to hum softly, but from no discernable direction. The river could be seen in the distance, and the Palace not far from it. The sun hadn’t risen yet, and Lily could still see the stars, spilling light across the night sky. The moon glistened above, reflecting off the river and illuminating the city. As Lily watched, the sun slowly poked above the clouds in the mountains, and suddenly, it was fully risen, its warmth radiating down and pouring upon Lily. She smiled, letting it coat her face, her skin. 

There was a shuffle behind her, and she slowly slipped out of her reverie. Turning around, she saw James walking sheepishly towards her. 

“Don’t fall,” He whispered, trying not to disturb the chilly peace. 

Lily pushed her chair back and stood tall on the edge. “I used to come up here with Alice and Marlene all the time. You can see the stars so clear at night, and the best way to wake up is the warm sun.”

James shook his head, laughing at her giddiness. Then he said quietly, “Alice was one of the guards you sent, right?”

Lily bowed her head, and some of the sun seemed to disappear around her. “Yes.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault James.” She turned to look at him. His face was sleepy, his eyes squinting against the morning sunlight. 

“But… they were sent to protect me and they died before I even met them. And I don’t know if they were already protecting me, or if they just happened to be in the way, or if Riddle sent assassins after them, or -”

“-James! I promise. It wasn’t you.” She took another step from the edge. “I don’t want to talk about this.” 

He was quiet, contemplating. “Alright.”

Lily took in a deep breath and forced a smile. She squeezed his hand gently and headed toward the stairs. “I’ll see you in a couple hours, okay?”

“Alright,” He said again. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

Lily smiled for real now. “That’s your job.” She twisted and headed down the stairs. At the bottom, the warehouse was now full of life. They had decided that it would be Fabian and Emmeline Vance would go, rather than Kingsley or Moody because they were too important. On top of that, Fabian and Emmeline were the Order’s top spies, and observed things other’s didn’t, and were able to charm their way out of dangerous situations. Their skills had come in handy when Lily was with them on numerous occasions, and she was glad they were with her again.

As soon as they were ready, the three of them made their way out of the warehouse. Lily led the way through the crowded, dirty streets towards her former apartment. Severus was waiting for them, sitting on the stairs at the back of the bakery. He jumped up when he saw Lily, and smiled hesitantly. “I wasn’t sure if you would come.” He reached out to touch her arm. 

Lily shrugged him off, unwilling to talk to him more than she had to. “Let’s make this clear, Severus. If you harm me, Fabian or Emmeline in any way, you will pay for it.”

He met her eyes for a long time. His eyes were a swirl of emotions, and Lily couldn’t tell what he’s feeling. Her stomach felt sick, and she had to swallow hard to keep everything down. “I understand,” He said finally. He turned to look at Fabian and Emmeline. “Follow me. Don’t say anything unless prompted. Your real names are fine, but Lily, come up with a different name in case they ask.”

He turned on his heel and walked back to the main street. It took about a half hour to get to the Palace. Severus took them to a smaller entrance, guarded by four stone-faced guards. He waved at them to stand back and then handed the guard on the right front an envelope. The man stepped back and broke the red wax seal carefully. He read the letter inside, grunted, and waved them through. 

Severus entered first, then Lily, and then Fabian and Emmeline. The door swung shut behind them, and the hallway fell into darkness. Severus moved forward, Lily close behind. Suddenly a torch springs to life just in front of them. 

Two more guards pat them down. They didn’t bring any weapons anyway, and when they’re cleared, Severus led them down the hall and up a flight of stairs with the guards flanking them on both sides. Lily feels like she’s suffocating, she can’t breathe. The guards shouldn’t be following them still, but there’s nothing she could do it about it now. 

At the top of the stairs, there’s another long hallway, and to the right, a single door. Severus hesitated, turning back to look at Lily, who was shaking. Something was wrong. 

“Severus? What’s going -”

He turned and pulled the door open, and instantly, Lily realized it’s a trap. It was never a mission, Severus - Snape had led them right into a trap. There was a shout from behind Lily, and she turned to see two guards grabbing Fabian and Emmeline. Lily swung back around to see Severus moving to stand with Riddle himself.

Lily ran headfirst at Riddle, aiming to take him out first before Severus. But she doesn’t make it - not even close. Three more guards, appearing from behind Riddle grabbed her arms and forced her to the ground. Lily won’t go down without a fight, and she spat at them as she tried to force her knees up to give her more support. They kicked her legs out from under her, one even sitting on her to keep her down. She cursed angrily, screaming, kicking - anything - to get away from them. Blows rained down on her, until her heart felt like it’s in her head, and her stomach in her mouth. Blood filled her mouth, the metallic liquid trickling out of her mouth. 

Slowly, she became weaker and weaker until she let herself give in. Distantly, she could hear Fabian and Emmeline still fighting, but they were getting weaker too. It didn’t take long until they’ve each been beaten into submission, handcuffed, and forced to kneel in the room, in front of Riddle. 

“Lily Evans. The rebellious Queen of filth. I could never understand why anyone liked you. After all, you come from the lowest of lows, don’t you?” Riddle sneered, walking slowly around them. Lily glared fiercely at him, rage boiling in her veins. “Yes, Severus, my dear friend, has filled me all in.” He bent closer to her, fingers reaching out and touching a strand of hair that escaped from her braid. As he moved away, Lily shuddered unwillingly. He moved to Fabian and Emmeline, eyes wide with excitement. “And who do we have here?”

 

They don’t answer. Emmeline was staring straight ahead, and Fabian spit in Riddle’s face. Riddle, quick as a whip, slid a dagger from his belt and cut Fabian’s face, just below his eye. Fabian fell back, wincing from the pain. Cooly, Riddle slipped the knife back into his belt. Severus stepped forward. “Fabian Prewett and Emmeline Vance, my lord.”

Riddle cocked his head, eyes roving between the three of them. “Vance? I know your father fairly well. Your family is influential in this city, Emmeline. I heard about your… fight with your family. Disowned you, didn’t they?” 

Emmeline didn’t say anything, continuing to stare straight ahead. Riddle stood up sharply. He was a tall man, something Lily had never noticed before. His head was hairless, but his eyes were piercingly gray, and his mouth was pressed into a thin, pale line. 

“Severus brought you right into my hands. Who knows what you two would have done if he hadn’t. But he has won my trust, and has asked for one thing in return.” He paused, looking at Severus, who was staring intently at Lily. She felt sick just looking at him. “I have agreed to let our Queen,” he spat, “go free, but just this one time.”

Severus met her gaze and tried mouthing something to her. But her eyes were tearing up and she couldn’t make it out. He betrayed me. Just to save me. Lily was in shock, not thinking clearly. Not pain - betrayal. Riddle continued, voice cold and grating. “Unfortunately, Prewett and Vance will not be joining you.”

“What?” Lily shouted. She tried to lunge at Snape, but the guards instantly shoved her down. “No, you can’t - take me, please, let them go, I’m the Queen, I’m more important.”

Riddle pulled out his dagger again, holding it near to her throat. Lily stopped struggling as she felt the cold metal touch her skin. “Which is precisely why if I ever catch you again Evans, you will be skinned alive in front of all your friends, and then kept alive, but only at extreme pain. Think wisely. This is your only chance.” He turned away, but suddenly twisted back around, and there’s a searing pain in her cheek. She recoiled but pulled her chin back up defiantly. 

 

“If you think that I will ever give up, you’re wrong, Riddle.” A guard kicked her back, and she fell to the ground, arms burning from the hard ground. 

“Would you like to know what happens next?” Riddle paced around the room and continued before she can retort. “Evans, you have exactly ten minutes before I send my army to take down the Order once and for all.”

“You’ll never find us,” Lily said forcefully, pushing herself off the floor. 

He threw back his head and laughed. “Wrong again Evans! I know exactly where your warehouse is, thanks again to Severus.”

Lily eyes widened, and she looked over to Fabian and Emmeline. Emmeline had a single tear sliding down her cheek, and Fabian looked like he saw a ghost. Lily shook her head in disbelief. “No. No! You have to be wrong. You’re lying! You don’t know where - you can’t - Severus,” She pleaded. “Don’t do this. Help us.”

“You made your choice Lily. But I’m… giving you one more chance. Get out of here Lily while you still can,” Severus took a step forward, stroking her cheek. She recoiled at his touch, utterly repulsed by the thought of ever being his friend. A few tears spilled out of her eyes, and she shook her head. He backed away, eyes dark and hurt.

Riddle motioned to the guards. Two hoisted Lily up and dragged her out the door, while another two grabbed Fabian and Emmeline. Fabian started shouting, desperately fighting against the guards, and Emmeline kneed one and tried to flip out the other’s grasp. But there were too many guards and they were only fighting against a wall. The guards dragged a fighting Lily back down the stairs. At the exit, they unhandcuffed Lily and tossed her into the street. “Ten minutes,” the guard said and swung the door shut. Lily furiously kicked at the door, gasping for air. She swiped at her tears, debating whether or not Riddle actually knew where the Order headquarters where. But Severus had betrayed her, and now, she wouldn’t put it past him to follow her and then tell Riddle where it was. 

She made a split second decision to run, and tore through the streets. She blindly cut through grimy alleys and across crowded streets, pushing through throngs of people. Ten minutes was all she had, and she knew, she knew it wouldn’t be enough. They weren’t prepared, they didn’t have enough men, or weapons, or defenses. The warehouse was never meant to be defended against, and they had never even considered the possibility. Their only chance was to evacuate, and even that would never work. There just wasn’t time.

By the time Lily had gotten to the dilapidated building, her breaths were coming in sharp gasps. The guards had definitely cracked or broken one of her ribs, and she had twisted her ankle somehow while running. She burst into the door and ran into someone, who barely caught her as she nearly collapsed. 

It was James, and if she could breathe, she would have sighed in relief. “Lily? Lily! What happened? Where’s Fabian and Emmeline?” 

Lily couldn’t talk properly through the pain and tears. “Severus… Riddle. We have… ten minutes,” she grabbed his jacket and shook him. “Ten minutes! And…” Another deep, shuddering breath. “They’re coming. We have to… evacuate. Now.”

James stared at her in shock, not comprehending. Lily shook him again. “James!”

He jolted, and immediately yelled for silence in the building. “We have ten minutes to leave this warehouse. You’ve all been made aware of the safehouse outside the city. Go there, but do not let them see you. Blend in with other people until it’s safe. We have to stay hidden.”

“James!” Lily nearly yelled. He was too calm, Lily thought desperately. Why wasn’t he acting quicker? “Now!”

James glanced at her and then back at the gathering crowd. “Take anything you can, but leave immediately. Those that can stay and defend as we try to evacuate the group at the front.” No one moved. “Move!” He yelled, and a flurry of activity broke out. James turned back to Lily. “You need to leave now.” He told her gently. He fumbled in his pocket and pulled a handful of coins. “Get out of here.”

She looked at the clock hanging on the wall. It had taken her 5 minutes to get to the warehouse. 5 minutes left.

Lily shoved the coins back into his hand. “I’m fine James. Where’s Dumbledore?”

James surveyed her. Her face was coated in blood from a cut on her cheek, and her hair was matted against her head. There was a bruise on her neck, another covering her arms, and her tears, now stopped, were still visible on her cheeks. She wiped her face on her shirt, face set, and regained control. “I’m fine.” 

He nodded before running, clutching his cane, towards Dumbledore’s office. Moody was already shoving maps and diagrams into a backpack. Lily pulled away from James and fetched two guns, one for her, and one for him. She ran back to the infirmary, where she helped Madam Pomfrey gather a few things hurriedly into a knapsack. Poppy tried to tend to her cut, but Lily pushed her away. “We need you, Poppy. You have to get to the safehouse first. We need a medic.” Poppy stared at her for a moment, a fierce glint in her eye, then nodded, making a run for the door. Lily dashed to where James was strapping on a brace. He threw her a, but she fumbles and it drops to the floor. There was a shout from the guards at the door, and Lily nearly crumbles from exhaustion. It couldn’t have been ten minutes yet, it just couldn’t. There were still people gathering belongings, scurrying out the door. Dumbledore was slipping on a backpack and a long cloak. Marlene was gathering up the stock of guns and distributing them to anyone who had a free hand. 

Lily pulled her shirt up and slapped a wad of bandages in James’ hand. “What happened to you?” He demanded.

Lily brushed him aside. “Cracked rib. I just need it bandaged in case I have to run again.” He wrapped over the offending area, but when Lily hissed, quickly loosened the wrap.

“I told you Snape was a lying bastard -” He said violently. He knotted the bandage. “I can’t believe -” He threw his hands up. “Why didn’t you listen to me?”

But Lily wouldn’t let any more tears fall over Severus. He was as good as dead to her. “You should leave,” She said quietly, pulling her shirt back down. “You’re leg will just hold you back.”

Three minutes left. 

“And your rib and busted ankle will just hold us back. I’m only leaving when you leave.”

Lily pushed past him. “My friends are still here. And I’m the reason they even know anything.”

James tried to stop her, but just then the first soldiers were sighted marching down the street, and the front door was shut and barricaded. Lily looked around. About half of the Order had been able to escape through the main entrance, and the back was still open. But most of the people left were planning to fight, armed with guns and anything they could get their hands on. 

Two minutes left.

“Get out while you still can,” James ordered. “We can’t fight them.” His voice was authoritative, and for a second, Lily stopped to think about how he was born to be a leader. She just hadn’t seen it until now. “It’s suicide to stay.”

The soldiers were banging on the door. More members were running for the door, and slowly, as the front door split at its hinges, the warehouse emptied out. Lily grabbed a torch hung along the wall and threw it on the ground. This old warehouse was full of memories, and she couldn’t bear to see it go, no matter how old it was. But there were still important documents in the room, and Riddle couldn’t get his hands on them. James, standing strong next to her, holding a gun, wouldn’t leave until everyone was out, and Lily refused to leave his side. As the fire started to spread rapidly, James grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the door. At the last second, she twisted free and ran back to her bunk. Belongings were scattered everywhere, but she found the box under her bed and pulled out a picture and a leather jacket. She stuffed the picture into her pocket and ran back towards the door, swinging the jacket on. James was yelling, coughing through the smoke. The fire was now on the far wall, enveloping everything in its path. The smoke was getting thicker. 

“The guards are surrounding us, Lily we have to leave, just forget it, Lily… please.” Lily doesn’t stop running, just grabbed his arm and pulled him out the door, loading her gun. He dropped his crutch behind him, letting it clatter to the ground. Only a few soldiers were in position, and Lily cast a fleeting thought for the safety of the rest of the Order. 

Just as they burst out the door, there was a loud rally from the other side of the building, and the alley was almost instantly full of soldiers, marching in neat rows, guns at the ready. James backed away slowly, then grabbed Lily’s hand and tore down the alley. She let go of his hand a second later, needing to keep her balance as they ripped through the streets. 

They run like hell down an alley, leaping over a fence and pushing through a crowded   
marketplace to turn down a quieter street. Soldiers approached from the other side of the street, and behind them, the soldiers rounded the corner. They skid to a hasty stop, Lily looked around the frantically, desperate for anything to help them. There was a tavern on the right, and just as the soldiers raised their guns, a man came out, clearly drunk, but left the door open behind him. Lily sprinted for the door, James close behind her. He locked the door behind them, ignoring the yells of the man behind the counter, and then bounded up the stairs. 

“James, we’ll get trapped up there,” She yelled. He ignored her, and she had no choice but to follow as the door burst open behind them. Lily twisted, firing over her shoulder at the group of guards chasing them. She turned back before she can see what happened, but she hears a grunt of pain and a heavy thump. The stairs led to a long hallway, and at the other end, there was another set of stairs. 

Lily realized it’s the roof right as they burst through. The shingles were torn, and it looked like the tavern had seen better days. But the soldiers were down on the streets below, and some were on the stairs behind them. Without so much of a warning, James leaped across the alley and tumbled onto the roof, landing on his knees.

Lily hesitated, even though she knows the soldiers are right behind her, closing in. “Lily, c’mon. You have to jump!” James yelled hoarsely, gesturing for his arms. “Jump!” 

Lily bit her lip and took a few steps back, then closed her eyes and took a running start, jumping wildly. Strong arms stopped her from losing her balance as her ankle gave out, and then they’re up and running again. Jumping, running, jumping, sprinting over roofs, dodging chimneys and trees. They seem to be losing them, but every time they slow for even a second, the soldiers are below them, climbing the walls, or catching up on the roofs. 

Lily didn’t know how much more she can take. Guards were firing wildly at them, and Lily felt more than one just narrowly miss her. Her ribcage was on fire, and her lungs seemed to have burst because she can’t breathe at all. Her ankle was wobbly, and at this point, James was catching her nearly every time she jumped or firing off bullets as he waited for her to catch up. The shock had worn off, pain seared into her with every step she took, and her heart was aching, not just from the pain, but also from Severus. How could he have betrayed her like this? She wanted to yell it, scream it from every rooftop and hunt him down until he can see all the pain he had caused - and will cause. 

They jumped over a particularly large distance, and the roof slanted sharply up. Lily scrambled at the shingles, trying to get a grip on the splintering wood. James was faring no better, unable to get enough leverage until he managed to get one foot ahead of the other and climb to the top of the roof. Lily looked over her shoulder and sees the soldier’s red capes billowing as they more cautiously made their way toward them.

Her fingers slipped and suddenly, she’s only holding on by the tips of her fingers. 

“Lily!” James yelled. He slid down, holstering his gun, bracing his feet on the gutter and grabbing one of her hands between his legs. Lily closed her eyes, the pain becoming too much. 

“They’ll catch us on the roofs eventually,” She said, gritting her teeth. “Let me go, James.”

His face appeared above hers, and he shook his head. “It’s too far of a jump. We can find a set of stairs to go down and -”

“James! We don’t have time for that,” She pleaded. “Let me go. I can roll and take some of the impact.” When he doesn’t respond, she twisted so violently that their sweaty hands disentangle and she fell towards the ground. James was yelling at her, but all she can think about was rolling as she saw the ground zooming towards her. 

Her injured foot touched the ground first, but she forced her momentum into a somersault, ending with her back on the dusty ground. The pain was immense, and she felt like her chest was being squeezed by a giant, but when she saw James lower himself down and fall, she pushed herself off the ground and hobbled toward him. 

“I’m fine. Just… the wind knocked out of me,” He muttered. Lily grabbed his hand and pulled him up, grunting at his weight. Breathing hard, they took off down through the streets and make it into an alley opposite the soldiers. 

The alley was full of litter, and there was no exit, nowhere to hide. At one end, there was a large wooden fence, impossible to climb. They exchanged glances and started to look for anything to hide behind or that would be useful to scale the wall. But there was nothing, and they were utterly trapped. 

Lily leaned heavily against the fence, and James ran back to peek his head around the corner, gingerly favoring his leg. The soldiers were coming, searching every alley as they go. They both cocked their guns, but Lily could barely even lift it, and James couldn’t take out a whole army of soldiers by himself, even if his leg wasn’t injured. She leaned her head back and prayed for anything, anything that could save them, but she knew all hope was lost. 

The sounds of the guards draw nearer and she could hear their loud voices carrying through the streets. James retreated back to Lily and gripped her hand tightly. 

“We’ll be ok,” He tried to tell her, but his voice cracked and he looked away. Lily squeezed his hand back, too tired to speak. She didn’t believe him for even a second. 

There was a rasping sound next to them, but they both ignored it until an old lady, at least a foot shorter than Lily, appeared from a door so old they had dismissed it earlier. She looked down the alley once, back at them, and then back down the alley. When she looked at them again, she made a single gesture and retreated back into the doorway, but left the door open. 

Lily made a split second decision as she saw the shadows of the guards cross into the alley, and dove into the door, James right behind. The lady shut the door quietly behind them and motioned for them to stay silent. They could hear the guards run down the alley, checking every inch before moving on. When it had been silent for a minute, Lily released a shaky breath and fell against the wall. 

“Who are you?” James demanded, gun still raised. A young man, in his late teens, appeared from the back of the room. “We are just citizens, your Highness. I’m Nicholas, and this is my grandmother, Martha.”

“You recognize us?” Lily asked, gasping for air. The young man nodded. “There are many who recognize you, Queen Lily. And many more who would be willing to help either of you.”

James took a hesitant step back, and then holstered his gun. That seemed to be enough for him to trust them. “Why did you help us?”

Nicholas looked around the room. It’s a kitchen, small, but neat. A loaf of bread was baking in the oven, Lily noticed, and there was a bowl of fruit sitting on the table. There was a door on the far side, and through it, Lily could see two beds and a dresser.   
“Not many people notice this place. We try to mind our own business.” He paused and crossed closer. “King James and Queen Lily have our respect.”

“But why? We let Riddle take over. We couldn’t stop him -”

“- because you’ve helped us -” Nicholas tried to say, but the old lady finally spoke and swatted his head. “Don’t interrupt the King and Queen, Nick, only two minutes they’ve been here, and you’re already yapping away…” She trailed off and started humming to herself, and Nicholas rolled his eyes and turned back to James. 

“I’m sorry, your majesty.” James waved him off, so he continued. “We… Queen Lily did… she helped us a lot, when she was the protest leader. We never met, but you…” Surprised at the turn in the conversation, Lily finally met his eyes. “You gave us hope,” Nicholas said simply, shrugging his shoulders. “We thought you would maybe leave us when you married King James… No offense, Your majesties.” 

“Please, just call us James and Lily. We’re nothing special,” James muttered. He ran a hand over his eyes, wiping away the sweat.

Martha reached out and looked deep into Lily’s eyes. “She’s in pain,” she declared. Lily would have rolled her eyes if she wasn’t so tired. Of course I’m in pain, She mumbled, or at least tried to. Martha pointed at James first, then Nicholas. “You. Help me get her onto the table. Nick, clear off the table quick now.”

Nicholas swept a drying rack off the table and ran into the other room. James scooped Lily up gently and carried her over. Nick spread a blanket out before James laid her down, and then gently put a pillow under her head. 

Martha set Nick to chopping up some vegetables, muttering something about guests, and pulled out a sack from a closet in the other room. 

“I once trained with a medical healer. I can maybe find something for the cut on your cheek, and anything else,” Martha said gently. Lily nodded briefly, before laying her head back down. 

“She said her rib is cracked, and she hurt her ankle,” James said quietly. “Anything else Lily?”

“I don’t think so,” Lily croaked, shaking her head. Martha fetched a cup of water for both of them, and James drank it noisily, plopping the cup back on the table. First, Martha wiped away the soot and grime from Lily’s face, cooing as Lily winced, and then pulled out dried herbs from her bag, and mixed them in a small bowl. 

She smeared the paste on Lily’s face, and Lily sighed in relief at the cool texture. Then she moved to Lily’s ankle, now purple and heavily swollen. She snapped her fingers, and Nicholas brought her another pillow to prop her foot up. Martha poked around for a minute, and Lily wanted to cry at the pain, gasping, - finally it had stopped, or at least slowed down, - and Martha’s prodding had only aggravated it more. 

But it didn’t take long for that pain to go away either. Martha wrapped it up in a moment. Then she pursed her lips and pointed to the door. 

“Out,” She told James and Nicholas firmly. James tried to protest, saying he was her husband, but Martha narrowed her eyes, and James followed Nick into the other room and closed the door. Clearly, they hadn’t played the doting husband and wife role well enough if she had seen through them that quickly. Martha helped Lily slowly sit up, and gingerly removed her jacket and torn shirt. 

Lily glanced down at her bare torso. A splattering of bruises ran up and down her arms, covering her chest and collarbone. There was a particularly ugly one over her breastbone, yellow and swollen. 

Lily cried out as Martha touched it, clenching the table tightly. Martha made another poultice, spreading it over her chest and bruises, then covered it with a long strip of white cloth. Martha helped her into a clean blue shirt and called in James and Nicholas. 

A few minutes later, Lily was sitting at the table, bundled in a blanket and eating a bowl of steaming stew. But her mind couldn’t focus on the conversation. It still hurt to breathe like the bleeding devil, but now, slightly cleaner and in less pain, Lily let her mind drift to what happened only an hour ago. Fabian. Emmeline. Tears threatened to spill over and she tilted her head back, trying to regain control. “Do you have a bathroom?” She muttered, looking for an escape. 

Nicholas looked at Martha. “It’s outside, and we share it with the house next door. If you can wait until nightfall -”

“I’ll be fine,” She said and swiped the tears away. James met her eyes for an awkward moment, then cleared his throat and started up a conversation with Nicholas, clearly unsure of how to help her. If she was in any other situation, she might have laughed, but her head was pounding and she was still recovering from the shock. As everyone worked on the dishes, Lily sat staring at the wall. James gently led her into the corner, helping her keep weight off her ankle. 

“Are you okay?” He asked. Lily shrugged noncommittally. He didn’t look too good himself, and she knew she didn’t look any better. She had regained composure during dinner, but looking at his battered face, and the throbbing pain overwhelmed her again. She broke down, huge gasping, painful sobs, with tears pouring down her face. He sat down on a bench, pulling her with him, and swept her into a careful hug. “You’re gonna be okay Evans, I know you. It’s all going to be okay,” He murmured into her bright hair, rubbing her back.

It took her awhile to stop, the massive gasps slowing into shuddering sobs, and finally, silent tears. When she finally had composed herself a little, she pulled away, eyes puffy and red. 

“Severus… Severus betrayed us,” She started, and the rest of the story poured out. Everything from how Severus had betrayed them, how Riddle had cut her, how she had to leave Fabian and Emmeline behind, how she had only ten minutes to warn the Order. 

“The only reason… I escaped is because Sev- Snape cared for me. He only… he didn’t care about anyone else, just me, and I was the one that said we could trust him, I lead them to their deaths, and now the Order is in shambles, and it was all my fault,” She broke off, choking on her words. 

He pulled her back into a hug, but no more tears came. “Lily…” He started, then stopped abruptly. “You warned everyone. You got everyone out in time. No one got hurt leaving the warehouse, and they all know where to go.”

Lily shook her head. “We lost all our food, our money, our supplies, weapons - everything! We only have a tiny house to put two hundred people, no ammunition, nothing! Fabian and Emmeline are gone. And maybe if I just hadn’t trusted Snape -”

James pulled her away and shook her gently. “Lily, Riddle knew were we were hiding before Snape even turned you in.”

“But what if Snape followed me to the warehouse after I went to see him?” She whispered, eyes wide. 

James fell silent, and Lily knew she was right. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew she was probably right. Snape had probably abused their friendship to help Riddle and the death eaters from the beginning. Dorcas had never trusted him - why had she ever thought he would be different towards her? If she had just listened to James, maybe she would be talking about plans to overtake the castle, or maybe finding supporters, ones like Nicholas and Martha, instead of cowering with them. It was a sobering thought, and Lily hated herself for it. 

Lily pulled away again. “How’s your leg? You should ask Martha to look at it.” 

He lifted his pant leg up to show her a pink scar in the shape of a circle in his calf. “Nah, Pomfrey fixed me up pretty good.”

“Does it hurt?” Lily asked, and James shook his head. “James, don’t lie. Does it hurt?”

“Not much,” He said and met Lily’s piercing eyes. She was glaring at him because he was obviously lying. It clearly was killing him but his pride prevented him from saying anything. He started laughing. “I’m fine Evans, I promise.”

She punched him lightly and leaned her head on his shoulder. Through a small window, she could see that night had fallen, and she yawned. James chuckled, his deep voice rumbling through her core. He swept her up in his strong arms. She tried to protest, hating that she needed help, but he shushed her and carried her to the backroom. Martha opened the door, smiling sweetly, and directed James to put Lily on a bed. By the time her head hit the pillow, she was fast asleep.


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> james and lily rally the Order to fight back against Riddle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bit of a shorter chapter, but its hard to split up action chapters up, so the next couple chapters should be pretty long! I think it'll be about five more chapters!

Lily’s eyes fluttered open the next morning as the sun filtered past the curtain and filled the room. There was a blanket on her, and she kept it tight around her as she looked around the room. The room was empty, and there were two bedrolls on the floor, and the cot on the other side was unmade. Lily slowly stretched, ignoring the painful stitch in her side, and shuffled to the door and out into the kitchen. 

James turned immediately as he heard the door open, and smiled. She smiled back ever so slightly, but she was hungry, still exhausted, and not in the mood for conversation. 

“Morning,” She said. Nicholas grinned. 

“It’s past noon, Queen Lily,” He chuckled. Lily’s eyes widened, and she glanced out the window. Sure enough, the sun was past the top of the sky. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to sleep in so late.” 

Martha gestured to the bench next to her. “Come sit dear, we didn’t mind waiting.” She stood up and fetched a bowl of hot oatmeal. “King James was just asking us a question, I believe.”

Lily spooned food into her mouth. James cleared his throat. “I was just going to ask… I didn’t understand - when you helped us, why did you, exactly? Did you know we were running?”

Martha pat his hand comfortingly. “Nicholas was in the market earlier and came home after he saw the commotion. We had always wished that we could help in the rebellion somehow, although, of course King James -”

“-I don’t care,” James said roughly. “I know I was an awful king.”

“But you aren’t now!” Nicholas exclaimed, then he smirked, winking at James. “Especially once you married Queen Lily.”

Martha swatted his head again and he dodged it without success. When he raised his head up again, he was still smiling, and Lily started laughing, holding her ribs, and James shook his head ruefully. When she settled down, Martha continued talking. “Nicholas especially wanted to change some things in the government. I was a little set in my old ways but-” her eyes gleamed, and she seemed to grow a tiny bit younger just sitting there. “- Lily, when you began the protests, it made me realize that life could be a lot better. Times were changing. Like I said before, you gave us hope. So, we wanted to thank you for helping us.”

“It was just little things that should have been a long time ago,” James said firmly. “We did nothing special.”

They talked about the city’s news as Lily finished her breakfast. In the time they had escaped Riddle’s clutches the second time, there had been three more attacks against some the prominent Order supporters, and the ruined warehouse had been claimed as the work of the Death Eaters. Although the general public thought it was the Death Eaters, Lily knew it was the soldiers, and by doing so, Riddle had practically confirmed that he was their ringleader.

As the day progressed, they learned that Nicholas worked as a carpenter, doing contract work around the city. Martha used to be a medical healer, which was why she was so skilled at helping tend to Lily’s injuries. Then suddenly, Nick turned to Lily, a smug look on his face. 

“So, do you two actually love each other?” 

James choked, coughing on air, and Martha put her face into her hands. Lily could hear her mutter “He’ll be the death of me someday.” And then Lily laughed, snorting into her hands. 

The laughter, although genuine, dies awkwardly away a few moments later, and James and Lily couldn’t quite look at each other. Then Lily placed her spoon into her empty bowl and looked up, not sure how much to say. She could feel the tension practically vibrating between them, and it pulsed through her uncomfortably. “We hated each other at first, but we both wanted to make a difference. Then … things happened. There’s an ancient law that would be nearly impossible to change stated that in order for me to be a council member, I had to be royalty.”

“Lily, we can’t tell them…” James trailed off. Lily waved a hand. “They saved our lives, and it’s not exactly secret. Although,” She turned to Nick. “We’d appreciate you not telling a lot of people. It’s not the greatest story, exactly.”

He nodded his understanding, and James picked up the story. “We couldn’t change the law without a king and queen, and that wasn’t the battle we wanted to fight. So… we got married, then changed the rule, of course. We fought a lot a first. And then Riddle attacked us during a meeting, we escaped to a warehouse, he attacked us again, you saved us and hopefully… we’ll be able to regroup.”

“I’m afraid that we can’t pay you at the moment for your hospitality,” Lily said, continuing before Martha could protest. “And yes, you do deserve it, Martha. We really do appreciate it.”

“Lily, we do need to leave soon,” James murmured. 

She was quiet for a moment. “I know.” Then she looked up at him, her green eyes meeting his solid brown, and bit her lip. “The sooner we get there, the better. But we can’t draw attention to the safe house in anyway.” 

“I think I have a way,” Nicholas said, jumping up from the table. “I’ll be right back.” When he returned a minute later, he was sweaty and excited. “We can sneak them out in the back of a wagon, cover them in hay. We can keep going past the house or even a little ways away, and then when no one’s looking, you two can climb out and make your way over.”

James sat back in his seat, thinking. “That could work,” He said slowly. “Only, we shouldn’t make you come out with us.”

“No, please, I want to help!” Nick protested. 

Lily shook her head quickly. “No. You can’t - you’d put yourself in danger, and Martha’s. We can’t ask you to do that for us.”

Nick turned to Martha. “Grandma, please, let me help them. You’ve always said we should help anyone in need -”

“- Nick, we’re wanted by Riddle, we aren’t just anyone -”

“- This is my chance to join the fight, and I won’t get another chance. I’m 17, I should -” Martha held her hand up for silence, and the noise died away. 

She chose her next words carefully, thinking through everything. “Nicholas may go, but only if he comes straight back. No fighting, and if you get into any trouble, you deny everything - no sassing, am I clear?”

“Yes, anything,” He pleaded. She watched him for a moment and then nodded her consent. “You two should leave as soon as possible.”

James grinned at Lily. “We have an uprising to lead.”

 

They couldn’t afford to wait any longer. Lily knew that Riddle would be furious because so many had escaped, but she couldn’t figure out why he had given her a headstart in the first place. When she voiced her questions to James, he simply shrugged. “Riddle’s a nutter. He probably just wanted to see you sweat.”

That didn’t make sense to her, but time was running short, and night was falling. Nicholas brought a cart into the alley, and Lily and James burrowed down under piles of hay. It was possibly the most uncomfortable she’s ever been, ever. The hay was surprisingly heavy, and the bumps in the road made her want to cry out in pain as it jostled her ribs. She closed her eyes tightly and tried to just ignore everything else. 

James eventually shifted so that he was laying on his side, his gun tucked away next to him, while Lily continued to stay curled in a ball. The cart jostled for a long time, and slowly the noises of the city faded away. Once they seemed to be far enough away, James shifted again so that he was holding up enough hay to see Lily. Their eyes met, and a soft smile tugged at his face. “Hey,” He whispered. Lily blinked rapidly and tried to turn away, but his arm lifted up and stopped her. “We’re gonna be ok. We can fix all of this.”

Lily slowly smirked, eyes sparkling. “What?” James asked. That was not the reaction he had expected. 

“You are so cheesy, it’s pathetic.” She smiled ever so slightly, and James rolled his eyes. 

“Git.”

“Prat.”

From up front, Nick whispered them to be quiet, and their conversation ended. When the cart finally stopped, they could hear Nick drop from the seat up front and move to the back. Nick forked out enough for them to see the darkening sky. He glanced over his shoulder and then motioned for them to slide out. Lily stood up and climbed down stiffly from the cart, favoring her leg. James followed behind her. He looped her arm over his shoulder, taking some of the weight off her leg. 

Nicholas pointed to a dot in the distance. “That’s the house you described, your majesty. There aren’t any roads that go closer, and I don’t want to draw a lot of attention to it.”

Lily reached out and squeezed his hand. “Thank you, Nick, for everything. Get home safe.”

James stuck out his hand to Nick, and shook. They had become good friends over the last couple days, and James wished him well. Nicholas touched the brim of his hat and hopped back into the cart. There was a soft cluck towards the horses, and the rattly cart started the journey home. Lily turned in the direction of the safehouse, swinging the bag of food Martha had given them over her shoulder. A fence surrounding a cornfield was between them and the house in the distance. Together, they climbed over the fence and into the field. Lily was immediately grateful for the tall stalks of corn swaying around them, hiding their approach. She had worried about Riddle’s soldiers appearing, but it seemed that her fears were unwarranted, as of the moment. 

The moon was fully risen by the time they made it quietly through the field. When they reached the other side, they took a minute, leaning against the fence, to observe the house. Although still a ways away, they could see people moving in the house through a curtained window, but no one coming in or out. It was too far away to make out who was inside, and Lily wanted to scream in frustration. 

“Should we wait?” James whispered. Lily bit her lip. “I can’t tell if it’s the Order in there. There’s no way that building can fit all of us, and it doesn’t look like there’s many in there but…”

James groaned. “Let’s wait for an hour or two. If anyone comes out, and we recognize them, we can go in.”

Lily nodded, and sat down heavily, facing the small house, and bracing her descent on James’ hand. James followed suit. His jawline seemed to be sharper in the pale moonlight, and Lily had to tear her eyes away. The minutes trickled slowly by. Within an hour, no one had moved from the cabin, and Lily hadn’t seen any movement inside for a while.

“James?”

“Mm.”

Lily swung around to face him, pulling her hair back into a tighter ponytail. “What if… what if that’s not the Order? What do we do?”

James looked up from where he was piling pebbles on top of each other, leaning back on his hands. A frown passed over his face. “Honestly?”

Lily nodded. “I have no idea.” Lily groaned and glanced back at the house. Instantly, or at least as fast as she could, she was on her feet, peering into the darkness. A man with shaggy black hair and walking with a certain swagger had just stepped out of the house, closing the door behind him. “James, James!”

He stood up next to her. “Is that…?” He trailed off uncertainly. “Sirius?”

Lily nearly yelled, grabbing his arm and shaking him. “Yes! That has to be him. And that’s…”

“The Order.”

Lily carefully swung a leg over the fence and crossed the road into an empty field. James was right behind her, and they hurried to the house, glancing over their shoulder every few seconds. By the time they reached the door, Sirius had disappeared around the back of the house. Lily stepped up the front door and knocked quietly. 

There was no response. Lily knocked again, holding her breath, James squeezed her hand reassuringly and ran a hand through his hair, checking over his shoulder. Suddenly, there was a shift in the curtains, and the door cracked open, with Moody peering outside, gun held at the ready. Lily sagged against James in relief, and Moody stepped out of the way for them. 

Inside, on every possible surface, Order members laid, some sleeping, some watching the scene at the door. Marlene stood from the back corner, and Remus, laying near her, shot up and made their way through the bodies, whispering frantic questions to them. Marlene nearly jumped on Lily, but James quickly pushed her away when he saw Lily wince. Marlene apologized, then glanced over her shoulder, whispering a mile a minute. 

Lily laughed and shushed Marlene, and pulled Remus in for a hug. “Good to see you two. Are Sirius and Peter here?”

Marlene lit up. “Yeah, he just went to go fetch some wood. He should be back -”

Sirius knocked on the front door, and Moody allowed him to enter. The instant Sirius saw James and Lily, he shoved the wood into Moody’s arms and pulled James into a tight hug. “Never thought I’d see you again, Red,” Sirius said once he pulled away, arms slung over James and Remus. A few Order members shot them annoyed glances, so Remus pulled them to the corner, and down the steps into the cellar.

Dumbledore, Moody, and Peter followed them down a minute later, and as soon as the hatch was closed, they all talked freely, yelling over each other as they tried to catch up. 

Sirius was punching James excitedly, and Marlene was carefully touching Lily’s cut on her cheek. 

Dumbledore finally called them to order, and then turned to James and Lily, each leaning on someone for support. “Sit, sit. There’s not much room, but we will make do.”

Once everyone found a seat on a chair or on the dirt floor, Dumbledore waved a hand at Lily. “Lily, I think everyone wants to know everything that’s happened since you left with Fabian and Emmeline.”

Lily swallowed at their names, angry at herself for momentarily forgetting their plight. James reached over and grabbed her hand again, rubbing a thumb over her hand. She raised her chin slightly, and started her story, sticking to the facts, and omitting almost nothing. 

Her voice cracked when she talked about getting dragged away from Fabian and Emmeline, and shook when she spoke of running through the streets back to the warehouse. How she set the warehouse on fire, and James and Lily had run on the rooftops to avoid capture. Her voice grew stronger when she explained how Martha and Nicholas had saved them, eyes bright.

“They saved us only because we made their life better. We would be dead without them.” Lily glanced at James, who smiled tiredly at her. Dumbledore asked a few questions, and then when they reached a lull, Lily asked Sirius where he’s been. 

“I have a friend at the Palace who helped me escape, and hid us in his house. We had no idea how or where to find you, so we stayed low until we heard about the warehouse fire. Riddle claimed that he had captured a lot of you, but my friend didn’t see anyone new in the prisons. I was walking down the street and heard someone mention the Order. I thought it was just someone talking about the news until they mentioned my name.” He smirked and Marlene rolled her eyes. “I cornered them, and they told me about this place. I got here a few hours ago.”

“Who was your friend?” James asked. 

“Mundungus Fletcher, if you can believe it.” Lily actually laughed out loud. “You stayed with Dung for two weeks?”

Sirius wrinkled his nose. “The place was a pigsty too -”

Dumbledore interrupted patiently. “Miss McKinnon, I believe you need to fill Lily and James in on how you arrived.”

Marlene nodded. “When you arrived Lily and told us to leave, I… you know I don’t have many places to go. My family doesn’t really support me and either way… Anyways, I wasn’t sure where I was going to go. I knew the soldiers would follow me if I went straight there, so I just ran as far as I could and hid until nightfall.” Marlene glanced at Sirius, then Lily. “The soldiers were pretty much gone by then, and I didn’t have much stuff with me either way. I went to a tavern at the edge of town and stayed until it was closed. I slept in the corner of the tavern, and the next morning the owner… gave me some food, no questions asked. I left later that day and headed towards the house. I figured I was the last person who had lived there, so it would be okay for me to return. There were a few people here by then, and the rest have just straggled in through this evening.”

Remus and Peter’s experience were similar to Marlene, and Lily finally allowed herself to relax a little knowing that they were safe. “I might have been the one to lead Riddle to the warehouse,” Lily said, biting her lip. “Honestly…”

“He would have found out either way, Lily,” Dumbledore rumbled. “Do not blame yourself for the inevitable.”

Lily ducked her head, still feeling guilty. Somehow she knew that no matter what anyone said, she would forever feel guilty. “What’s the plan?” James asked. 

Moody spoke. His voice was old, like two stones tumbling down a hill. “We have no plan, your Highness. We lost all of our supplies, all of our food, weapons, money. Many did get taken by the soldiers. If no one else arrives at the safehouse, we have maybe a week’s supply of food, if that. But more will come, and we can only hide here for so long. We don’t have anything to go off of.”

“What I am suggesting…” Dumbledore said slowly. “Is that we disband the Order.”

“What?” Lily spat. Beside her, James yelled, “You’re mad!”

Dumbledore smiled sadly. “We are only endangering lives for a war we cannot win. There is no way we come out on top.”

“So we’re just gonna give up?” Lily yelled, getting to her feet. “That’s it, it’s over?” No one answered her, and only James isn’t looking at the ground. Marlene rose next to her. 

“Lily, maybe… maybe we can try again in a few years once we’ve raised some more money, got some new members.” She rested a hand on Lily’s shoulder. Lily shoved it off. 

“Don’t ‘Lily’ me!” She rounded on Remus and Peter. “What about Fabian and Emmeline? Are we just going to abandon them?”

“Chances are they’ve already been killed Lily.” James met her eyes, and she could see he was struggling to accept it, but he looked so tired and beaten that she almost wanted to give in too. 

“No… No! I can’t- I _won’t_ accept defeat yet. You know damn well that if we give in now, we will never be able to overcome Riddle.”

Lily could feel James shifting beside her. “I know we don’t have a lot to go in right now…” He started, and Peter just shook his head. “But there are a lot of people out there who are on our side. More than just a few hopefuls.”

Dumbledore rose to his feet. “Please explain, your highness.”

James ran a hand through his hair, shaking out a few pieces of hay. “Lily mentioned Nicholas, who helped us get here. He and his grandma, Martha housed us until Lily could recover, no questions asked. He said that there were more people that would be willing to help if they knew how.”

“Ever since James started making changes to the council and making better laws, they trust him, not Riddle. They’re too scared to start anything on their own, but if the protests a few months ago show anything, we have to be right. Riddle has swayed even more people on our side by taking over the Palace,” Lily explained, filling in the holes. “Even if they thought the Potters were bad, they know Riddle is worse.”

“And what about all the powerful Dukes and Lords that are on Riddle’s side? They have more power than the rest of us put together,” Moody asked. 

James frowned for a second, and Lily had no idea how to respond. “Sheer number of people can overcome power.”

“Is it worth all those lives?” Marlene questioned. Lily had honestly thought Marlene would have been on her side, but now, Lily can’t get a read on her. 

“Fabian and Emmeline gave their lives. I’m sure there’s many that would be willing if it meant a better future for them and their families. I’m willing,” Lily said, twisting her fingers.

“I’m in,” James said quickly. 

“Me too,” Sirius said. Remus murmured his assent, and both Marlene and Peter slowly nodded. “I’m in,” she said. Lily smiled at them, then turned to Dumbledore and Moody. 

To her surprise, both are looking at her with a mixture of determination and wonder. Then each, Dumbledore first, then Moody slowly agreed. 

They stayed up until early morning, when the voices of the Order could be heard moving about quietly, planning, plotting against Riddle. Lily fell asleep on James’ lap, and he slept against the wall, head tilted back. Sirius sprawled out in the corner, and Marlene quietly watched her sleeping friends, amazed at their impossible reunion.


	6. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks to @snapslikethis for their LOVELY comments and made me want to keep posting :)) also, i lied i think I have three chapters max before it's over :(. It turns out I'm really bad at seperating chapters up, so I just tend to lump like five together.

Their first step to return to the city had to wait until dark when five of them could sneak back into the city. It had been a long night for both James and Lily, and they slept until lunch time. Lily awoke first, moving stiffly from James’ warm body, and noticing that the cellar was now empty except for them. She stood and stretched a bit before returning with a pillow and blanket. 

As she laid back down, James’ eyes cracked open, and she smirked at him. “You drool in your sleep.”

He snorted. “I do not.”

“Yes, you do.”

“You snore. Loudly,” he retorted. Lily gasped and hit him with the pillow. “I do not!”

He laughed. “Maybe not loudly, but I slept in the same room as you, you would think I know.”

Her smile faltered ever so slightly, and the awkwardness between them that had been present ever since they had met suddenly was present again. James shoved a hand through his hair, and Lily had to tear her gaze away. She cleared her throat to break the silence, but it doesn’t really help. Finally, she shifted, pulling her jacket tighter around her. 

“What did you go back for?” He asked suddenly. Lily looked at him, surprised. “At the last second, you grabbed your jacket and a piece of paper. I never asked you.”

“The jacket was my dad’s. And the photograph -” She pulled out the photo and handed it to James. Four people, with two parents on the top, and Lily and another girl on the bottom. It’s obviously a staged picture, but it doesn’t hide the fact that they are happy, each laughing and smiling brightly. 

“My family,” Lily explained. “Mum, dad, and Petunia, my sister. She’s two years older than me.”

James handed the picture back and she tucked it into her pocket. He didn’t expect an explanation because in all their time spent together, they had never talked about their past. To his surprise, she continued. “Petunia thought I was crazy because I started to disagree with the government. She was convinced that she was going to marry you for a while until she grew up a bit. So me not agreeing with your family was practically treason.”

James scoffed at this, and Lily grinned. “And then I grew up and led a rebellion, and Petunia wouldn’t let me come home anymore. That’s why I moved in with Dorcas in the first place and how I met Severus,” She said simply. James watched her as she speaks. How had he spent so much time with one person and not learned a single thing about her? “It’s the last photo I have, so… I couldn’t leave it.” 

“Where are they now?”

“Petunia married an oaf, a mechanic named Vernon, moved to the south side of town. My mom still lives in the same house. My dad died a few years ago.”

“Oh geez - Lily, I’m so sorry -” James started, feeling bad for bringing up bad memories. Lily’s eyes smarted dangerously. “It was a factory accident. Nothing I could do. It’s fine now.” She waved her hand. It was hard enough to think about, let alone speak about it.

“Do they still talk to you?” James asked, and Lily frowned. “No. Petunia convinced her I was crazy.” Lily stood up, brushing her pants off. “Which, is probably true, since I married you.”

James chuckled and stood up next to her, and pulled the cellar down open, and positioned the ladder underneath. Lily climbed up first, emerging from the hole and into the crowded room. Only a few people glanced her way, and she sighed in relief, still too tired to talk to anyone. 

Poppy found her a minute later and forced Lily to sit down on the table while she bandaged her ankle. “It’s not sprained too badly, so it should be healed in no more than three days. But, you are to stay inside, and move as little as possible until then.” Lily nodded her understanding, but when Poppy moved away, she met James’ eyes. “Don’t even think about telling me to stay.” 

James crossed his arms. “I could do it, Evans.”

“Your leg is just barely healing. You’re still limping.”

James growled. “At least I can walk.” Lily pressed her lips into a thin line. “I have the connections to people. The former King walking around town is going to raise questions. You’re recognizable and people still don’t know whether or not to trust you.” James glanced over his shoulder and then back at her. “At least I have friends and family that I can try to talk to. Former sympathizers.”

“Like Snape?” James retorted. 

Lily’s eyes flashed dangerously. “He wasn’t always like that.”

He snorted. “Sure. But you trusted him, and he turned around and dumped you in Riddle’s lap. How can you trust your other friends?” 

Lily slid off the edge of the table and limped towards Marlene. He walked behind her, and she whispered over her shoulder, “You don’t know a damn thing about me, do you?”

But before he could even reply, they reached Marlene, who smirked at them. “You two make a fine pair,” She said, not noticing the tension raging between them. “Neither of you can walk straight.” 

Lily threw up a smile, but when Marlene turned her back, she tossed a dangerous glare at James. She turned back around and started catching up with Marlene. Behind her, she could hear James huff and storm off, likely seeking out Sirius and Remus. 

 

The day seemed to pass by slowly, time creeping by. More members arrived, and soon, there wasn’t even room to sit. Toward the end of the day, Moody led a trusted group to another smaller, safe house on the edge of the property. Although closer to the neighbors, Lily was fairly certain that any longer in the same cramped house, most of the Order would explode. 

When night fell, Sirius, James, Marlene, and Lily climbed into the back of a cart, and Remus covered them with hay, and then clambered into the driver's seat. Each was wearing borrowed dark clothing, hiding their recognizable features. It was almost an hour before they got back into the edges of the city, and another twenty minutes until they reached their destination. 

When the cart finally slowed, Lily, with her back facing away from James, heard Remus slid down, and knock on the door. She could hear the door open, and Remus speaking quietly. 

“Are you Martha?”

There was a pause, and Lily held her breath. “I might be.” She let her breath out slowly. 

“I’m Remus Lupin. Is Nicholas here?”

Another voice, younger, and deeper answered. “That’s me. Can I help you?”

Another pause. “You helped my friends the other day, Lily and James. You said you would be willing to help again,” Remus said. The voices grew too quiet to hear, and then quick footsteps approached. “Lily, James get out. Nicholas will take Sirius and Marlene to the stable, and meet us back here.”

Lily pulled herself out of the hay, and dropped off the back of the cart, holding onto Nicholas’ hand for support. They moved quickly out of the dim street lights and into shadows of the house, lit by a few flickering candles. The cart carrying Nick, Remus, Sirius and Marlene started down the street as they enter the house. 

When the door was closed, and James was sure there was no one else present, Lily turned to Martha. “We’re sorry to spring this on you. We needed a place to stay in the city until we can find another hideout. If you’re willing of course, we will only stay a few days.”

Martha barely even took a second to decide. “We are with you, your Majesty. Anything you need, let us help you.”

Lily smiled gently. “Thank you, Martha. James and I need to run a few errands tonight, if we may, but please don’t wait up for us.” Martha rubbed her back comfortingly and Lily sensed James relax behind her. 

She ran a hand through her hair, pulling out a few strands of hay, and slipped out the door. James followed, shutting the door tightly behind him. When he caught up, she slipped an arm into his, and leaned her head against his shoulder. 

He stiffened and she giggled, and hissed, “We’re two people walking late at night, act drunk, for pete’s sake.” His walk morphed into more of a swagger, somehow more carefree. But Lily could still feel him, and he was still tense, annoyed and angry. Although he didn’t have any right to be angry, she thought. He’d gotten angry at her, even if she had sort of goaded him into it. 

Their first destination was Lily’s childhood friend, Mary MacDonald, who had once been part of the protests but had been forced to stay home by her parents when they had become violent. Now, Mary lived in a small apartment across from the Rose bridge - the biggest bridge crossing the river. It didn’t take long for them to track it down, and even less time to explain their situation, and for Mary to agree to help, even offering her apartment. 

James and Lily moved on to her other friends who shared similar beliefs at one point. Unfortunately, the rest of their visits weren’t as successful. Tasha Pen, who had wished them luck, but wanted no part of the rebellion, Bryan Sutton, who had spat on the ground and shut the door immediately in Lily’s face, and Rosalie Noel, who was once Lily’s second in command, promised only that she would think about it. But she had looked like she had already decided.

Lily found it much harder to keep up the drunk couple act on the way back, and halfway home, James pulled her into an alley. “Hey, this isn’t your fault.”

Lily leaned her back against the wall and pulled him closer, their faces only inches away. “Yes, it is. I said that they would help us - and we only got one. Mary MacDonald, who is so small and weak she would be more trouble than help!”

James pushed her harder into the wall, frustrated. “She gave us a place to stay! That’s better than what we had a few hours ago. We could put a few members of the Order there.” Lily fell silent. A few seconds passed, both breathing hard, and Lily tilted her head back, thinking. Footsteps sounded a few alleys down, and Lily met James’ eyes, and quickly, before she could think, pulled him down behind an overturned barrel, pressing her body as close to his as possible to try to hide. 

Sirius appeared in the alley, laughing silently with Marlene. 

“So, what did you two exactly get up to during those three days locked in the same house?” Sirius said, grinning from ear to ear and throwing an arm around James’ shoulders. Lily could feel her face heat up as Marlene winks at her.

“We thought you were someone else. And- ” James tried to explain. Sirius nodded as if he understood, rolling his eyes dramatically. James brushed Sirius off of him. “So, did you and Marlene have success?”

Marlene’s smile slowly faded, and Sirius looked at the sky distractedly. “We should head back to Martha’s. We can talk there.”

It didn’t take them long to walk back, and when they’re all settled around the fireplace, Marlene quickly updated them. “We didn’t exactly… have much success. None of Lily’s friends trusted us, and Emmeline’s parents weren’t happy to see us at all.”

“Wait - I thought you said Emmeline’s parents would be the most likely to help now that she’s missing,” James said, crossing his arms. 

Marlene angled her head. “I thought so, especially because they’ve donated in the past, but it looks like some of Riddle’s gang paid them a visit and threatened them into silence. There’s a dark mark flag hanging from their window.”

Lily gave their grim report. When she finished, they all sat back, shoulders slumped and depressed. 

“We aren’t making much progress,” Sirius said, voice taut. “If all our contacts have the same reaction, I’m not sure we can pull this off.”

Lily shot him a dark look, but he made a good point, so she stays silent. 

“Why don’t we try again all tomorrow, and if we don’t have any success, we just go to plan B,” Marlene said, twisting her fingers through her hair. 

James turned to Marlene. “Marly, we don’t have a plan B.” She rolled her eyes at him, tossing her hair. “I _mean_ , we’ll have to make one up. We are running out of time, and fast.”

“So what are you proposing?” Lily asked. 

“We tell as many people as we can to all gather in the square, anyone who’s willing.”

“That’s not going to do anything, Mar, we already tried that, and no offense James, but you hardly paid any attention to that. If anything, Riddle will use it as an excuse to show some of his power, and scare more people into submission,” Lily pointed out. “We need to just attack. Confront Riddle, straight up.” 

James almost laughed out loud. “You think that he will listen? I mean, Lily, c’mon, you know he has the power and the army, and we don’t even have a hundred people who can fight.”

Lily glared at him. “Grow a spine, Potter. We can’t just sit here and wait for people to change their minds.”

“Yeah, and if we throw a few people to fight off an army because we have to act now, it’ll just be another slaughter! Or are you forgetting how that almost happened when Snape tricked you?” James stood up. “We can’t go into this without a plan.”

“It’s all going to hell anyway! And, you know I didn’t know Snape was going to -”

“I _told_ you not to trust him, Evans, and what did you do anyway? You went and lost us all our supplies, our warehouse, and half the Order!”

Sirius stood, putting a hand on James’ soldier. “James-”

But James continued anyway. “And what about Emmeline and Fabian, you left them -”

“James, that’s enough,” Sirius said sharply. Lily felt the words dig through her core, ringing truth to the same things she had been trying to fight since that day. The day everything fell apart. The truth was, it was her fault that Emmeline and Fabian were in Riddle’s hands, and it was her fault the Order was in shambles. But she couldn’t - wouldn’t let him know that he got to her, and whatever connection she thought they might have found, was clearly a lie. 

Lily stood up, letting a smirk grow on her. “You just sit here on your high horse, and I’ll go find an army. I’d hate to see the Queen as scared as the King, otherwise, we’d all be dead by now.” She swept the blanket wrapped around her onto the floor and tilted her head. “Don’t wait up for me, Potter.” Lily pushed past him and out the door. She could hear Marlene try to follow her, and James yell something at her, but it all faded away as the door swung shut behind her. She was expecting someone to follow her, so it didn’t surprise her when Sirius fell into step with her a minute later. 

Lily started walking down the street, hands tucked in pockets. The sun was just poking up, but there were clouds in the distance and it smells like rain. As she walked, her mind formulates a plan, and soon, she was standing in front of a red door as the streets slowly come alive behind her. 

Sirius was silent next to her, sensing that she didn’t want to talk. So together, the pair of them faced the door. The door swung open to reveal a short, stout woman who at first doesn’t recognize Lily, and then her eyes widened. “Lily?” She looked around anxiously, then gestured them inside. “Come in, Come in.” 

Once inside, Sirius looked around to see a sparsely furnished kitchen, with a small bed tucked in the corner, and two children playing on the floor. Lily gave the lady a warm hug and immediately launched into a rapid speech. 

“We can’t stay long Betty, but we wanted to pass the message on. We want anyone who is able to, and anyone who doesn’t agree with Riddle to be ready. You’ve heard of the Order before, right?” The woman nodded and Lily pressed on. “If you decide to help, we want you to spread the word to anyone you can trust. That we’re fighting for you, and we need you to be ready.”

“That’s it?” Betty asked, wringing her hands. “Be ready for what?”

“To fight,” Lily said simply. “To fight Riddle. You’ll know when the time is right.” And with that, Lily turned and walked out the door. She didn’t bother to hide her face as she steps into the bustling street, Sirius following behind her. 

The same scene repeated all day without stopping. Lily dragged Sirius all over town, never speaking, sometimes running away from guards when they were recognized, sometimes tracking down friends, former Order members, or anyone else she could think of. On more than a few occasions, she saw dark mark flags hanging from windows, or painted black snakes splattered onto houses. The sight of it sickened her, but it just kept her moving faster. 

Sirius tried to persuade her to eat something around dinner time, but she ignored him. By the end of the day, he was beat, and sat outside a house as Lily went inside once again, head in hands. 

When she returned, she sat next to him, arms propped behind her, legs kicked out. The sky was almost dark, the moon appearing dimly in the sky, and a gentle breeze cooled them off. “You alright?” Sirius asked her. Lily didn’t reply for a minute. “Yeah.”

Sirius twisted to face her at her reply. “‘Yeah’? James said all that crap about you and you’re still good? They probably think we got captured by now.”

Lily shook her head tiredly. She had had too many late nights in the past week to think clearly at the moment. “They should have heard the news by now anyway.”

“What’s your plan anyway? Stand in the middle of the town and hope people find you to fight against Riddle?” Sirius said, exasperated. 

“You wanted an army, I found one. Now, we just need a plan.” She stood up, stretching her aching back. 

“What?” He shot up next to her. “You don’t have a plan yet?”

“Actually, I have at least three, but all are dumb, foolish and literally impossible. I have no idea how I’m going to pull them off, so currently, I don’t _actually_ have a plan.” Lily took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “We have an army now, but -”

“No, you hope you have an army. And how did you get all those people to listen? Last night we couldn’t even get one to let us in the door.” Sirius asked, scraping his boot in the dirt. 

“I promised them that I would help them, and it’s time for the Queen to finally do something about it. I can’t… can’t let anyone else die for me and not the cause. There’s a difference.”

“Evans, what James said about Emmeline and Fabian -”

“I’m sure he’s sorry, but it’s true. If I had listened to reason and not trusted Snape, things would be a lot different now, and I’d have two friends back. So I’m not going to let this setback - my _stupid_ mistake - ruin it for all the people who trusted me even before I became Queen.” Her shoulders slumped forward, and she slowly rolled onto her feet. “We have an army now, but we still need supplies. And unfortunately, I can’t do that without Potter and Remus.”

Sirius stood tiredly next to her. “Lils, you know it wasn’t your fault, James was just being an arrogant -”

But she wasn’t listening anymore, walking down the street towards Martha’s house, hands tucked in pockets and deep in thought. When they knocked on the door, it cracked open almost instantly and then widened to show James, who grudgingly let them in. Marlene let out a shriek as soon as the door was closed, and pounced on Lily and Sirius. 

“We thought you were dead! Don’t. Ever.” She punched them emphatically with every word. “Do. That. Again!”

Lily crouched, trying to avoid her, and then used Sirius as a shield until she saw Remus and Nicholas in the corner, laughing at the scene. She threw them a finger, smiling, and then sat down heavily at the table. Sirius sat next to her, and Remus and Nicholas followed suit. James remained standing next to the door, arms crossed and scowling dangerously. 

“So you just went and announced to everyone that we were back in town then? I thought that’s what we decided we weren’t going to do,” He said sharply. 

Lily threw him a pained look. “Hm, yes well, that wasn’t working so well, was it? Guess they lost trust in their _loyal_ King.”

He rolled his eyes and moved closer. “Oh, grow up Evans, you’re still just bitter that you couldn’t lead the Order to victory and steal my throne.”

Marlene crossed her arms. “James, how arrogant are you? You couldn’t do shit for us as King, I think you’re just bitter that Lily did three times as much in half the time you did!” 

James snorted. “Evans just spread around the word that we are going to attack Riddle. He’s expecting us now.” He smirked and turned to her. “So, Evans, what’s the plan, exactly?”

She narrowed her eyes, and she could feel Sirius stiffen next to her. Tossing her hair defiantely, she said “I found us an army. Now we need weapons and supplies. Nick and Marlene, you think you can find a group who can fight decently?”

“Absolutely,” Nick said immediately, and Lily gestured her thanks, all business now. “Remus and Potter, I need you two to figure out where Riddle gets his supplies. We take them from him first, then from others if we have to. Sirius, I need you to find a place to keep the weapons and begin training.”

There was a tense silence as Lily stopped talking, everyone thinking for a moment - and suddenly, everyone was hustling, moving around to get something done. Martha plopped a big bowl of stew in front of Lily and Sirius, who began gulping it down. James stared at her for a long minute, but when she didn’t even bother to glance at him, he scoffed and moved to join Remus. 

A week passed, and Lily was so busy she hardly ate or slept. Three days after they returned to the city, Lily and Nick led the first attack, once the main routes were identified, and managed to hide a wagon full of armor, in an empty apartment Sirius had found, under the cover of night. They also took out two other small convoys of supplies headed for the Palace, filled with food. In the daytime, when Lily wasn’t organizing more attacks, she’s talking to former Order members, sneaking people in the safehouse back into the city, training members, or finding safe locations for people to hide. 

With the constant rushing in and out of the house, Martha decided to move in with a friend but still came by to help cook food. Dumbledore arrived but disappeared at odd times of the day, and Lily never seemed to be able to catch him alone. And anytime James and Lily are in the same room, they managed to keep as far away as possible. Which made sleeping even harder. With so many people rushing in and out of the house at all hours of the day, James and Lily had silently agreed that they still had to share a room to keep up appearances. Even if they strongly disagreed, the royalty aura was still an important symbol, and to show that weakness could be fatal. So they still had to sleep in the same room. Which hadn’t been a problem, until a week after they had returned to the city, because both James and Lily hadn’t been home to sleep at the same time. 

When she returned, it was almost three am, and the house was miraculously silent. She crept through and opened the door, breathing a sigh of relief as she slipped her shoes off. Until she saw James, watching her, shirtless, with a shirt in his hand. She groaned, leaning her head against the door. “I’ll take the floor. I think it’s my turn anyway.”

She pulled a blanket from the dresser and moved to sit on the floor, but his voice, soft, stopped her. 

“I’m sorry Lily.”

She met his eyes, and maybe she’s just tired, but for a second, she wants to forgive him. He slipped his shirt on, tousling his hair, and the moment passed. “Let’s just get through this, and we can get a divorce or something.” But she knew deep down that they would never be able to divorce. The royal family could never be broken, and it would be nearly impossible to gain trust if they did. Maybe they could in a couple decades, but no time soon. 

“Lily -”

“Or you can see other people, either way. I don’t care what you do,” She said, voice hard. She tied her hair up and turned away from him. 

“You take the bed.”

“No.”

“Evans, c’mon. We can share, but you haven’t been sleeping much lately, and I know it’s mostly my fault, but you need to get a few good hours in.”

Lily frowned, but grudgingly crawled into the narrow bed, facing the wall as he slipped in beside her, facing the opposite way. He pulled the quilt over them, and murmured a quiet “Goodnight.” 

But she was already fast asleep, every muscle and bone exhausted and sore, breathing deeply. 

The next morning the bed was empty, but still felt warm. Still tired, she rubbed her eyes and swung her legs out of bed, threw on some clothes she hopped were clean, and padded out into the kitchen. Martha handed her some bread and bustled off as Nick rushed in the door. 

“We got the fourth shipment hidden in that apartment, and we brought some of the food back for Grandma. And Lily, Sirius wants to let you know that apartment is pretty full already, so he’s going to look for another warehouse or factory we can use,” Nick told Lily as she ate. She waved her assent, and Nick dashed off. By the time she’s finished eating and washed up, James had returned. 

“Sirius thinks he’s found a decent place. In good shape, and not too suspicious. Just barely closed so it shouldn’t raise too many questions,” He said. Lily nodded and laced up her shoes. “Can you show me?”

He stuffed a piece of bread in his mouth and grunted. They both said their goodbyes and headed out the door, walking into the cool, misty air. “Are you going to talk to your sister?”James said suddenly. 

“Petunia?” Lily asked, surprised. To be perfectly honest, she hadn’t even thought of Petunia or her parents since she had shown James that picture in the safehouse. 

“Yeah, I mean, I know she’s not sympathetic to the cause, but maybe she could help in some other way, I mean,” He said nervously. “We need all the help we can get.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Lily said noncommittally. It would be a cold day in hell before Petunia joined, and her mother was too afraid to do anything. But she didn’t want to talk about it. The rest of the walk was silent, and when they arrived, Sirius showed them around briefly before Nicholas showed up with new recruits, distracting James and Sirius. 

The next month passed even quicker. With every successful attack, more and more people volunteered to fight. Lily moved into the warehouse, with a tiny cot in the corner next to Marlene, Peter, and James. Sirius and Remus stayed at the apartment, managing the direct attacks against Riddle. Lily and James focused on training, although somewhat limited, and recruitment. Both were totally healed from their previous injuries, but one late night a small, drunk group of Riddle radicalists, now known as the Death Eaters, had found her before she made it to the apartment. Luckily, they hadn’t recognized her before Peter and Sirius had passed by and helped her. Ever since, James had stuck to her side, and wouldn’t let her out of his sight. Although neither of them had mentioned their last argument, choosing to focus on the rebellion at hand, on the rare occasions she was alone, she couldn’t help but miss his presence. 

Riddle had imposed a curfew at sundown each night in retaliation for all the attacks, and increased patrols tenfold. Soldiers in red capes marched up and down the streets constantly. The streets grew quieter - shops boarded up sooner, buyers didn’t haggle so loudly, and children no longer played in the dirty streets. There was more vandalism and robberies every night, more arrests and daily, Lily saw carts full of men, women and even children, behind metal bars and shackled, pass by daily. Death Eaters increased their activity, and more skull flags hung in windows than ever before. But the attacks against Riddle didn’t stop.

One night, Nicholas got word of a last minute shipment of supplies to the Palace, and James and Lily had both volunteered to go. There had been more guards they had been expecting, and one of their best fighters, a man named Cedric, went down. It cast a sobering mood over all of them as they returned to the dark city. There was a light drizzle falling as James and Lily stacked the last of the newly acquired wagons in the warehouse, and quietly dismissed the ragtag group. As Lily walked to her cot, yawning, James grabbed her hand. 

He pulled her to the side, talking quietly. “Lily? I think… If we wait much longer, Riddle’s just going to flip his hand completely.”

Lily, more awake now, was surprised at what he was suggesting. “James, I know but we still can’t take on his entire army. We don’t have enough supplies yet -”

“- Riddle thought we were just a nuisance a few weeks ago. That’s probably why he let us go. But we haven’t stopped and he’s losing support quickly, even if the Death Eaters are gaining support. He’s not an idiot. He knows that if he doesn’t show his power now, he’ll lose all confidence.” He scuffed his shoe on the ground. “But he doesn’t think we’d launch a full blown attack just yet so -”

“- Now is the perfect time,” Lily finished, nodding her head slowly. She glanced over her shoulder, looking at all the cots scattered throughout the warehouse, making sure no one was listening. “So what do you have in mind?” 

A week passed before their plan was completely put together, and the date finally set. They tried to iron out every wrinkle in their plan, but it was impossible. The plan depended too much on the willingness of ordinary citizens to fight, too much on what Riddle might do. There were just too many variables for disaster. They had almost no information about Riddle’s plans anymore, and their supplies were limited. At best, they might succeed in killing Riddle, but get themselves all killed in the process. At worst, _there’s too many ‘worsts’ to even name_ , Lily thought. She stood next to her cot, the one she shared with James in Martha’s house. Her shoulders were rigid, hair in tight braids. She grabbed her pocket knife, sliding it into her boot, and slipped another into her pocket. Her gun laid on the bed, freshly polished and fully loaded. 

Lily picked it up and checked the safety just as James knocked on the door and stuck his head in.

“You ready?” He asked quietly, leaning against the door frame. Lily didn’t answer. “Evans?”

Lily finally turned around, smiling slightly. “You know, since we are married, and we’re about to go fight Riddle, I would think it would be okay to call me Lily now.”

James chuckled, moving to stand next to her. Lily slid her chest holster on, and reached her arms around, trying to tighten the straps. Her hands were shaking because of her nerves, but she tried to brush it off. James’ warm hands stopped hers, gently pushing them away, and helped her tighten the leather bands. He grabbed the gun from her unsteady hands, and slid it into the holster, and grabbed her jacket sitting on the bed. He turned around slowly. She reached out for it, but he didn’t hand it over yet. 

“Lily… Before we do this - I just wanted to let you know that…. That all those things I said about you just wanting power and my throne - I didn’t mean any of that. I was upset about the marriage, my father dying, Riddle - all of it, and I took it out on you.” He ran a hand through his hair, looking at the ground. “I’m sorry, Lily.”

Lily grabbed his hand, squeezing it tight. “No, James, I should be the one who’s sorry. I came in a few weeks since your father died and ordered you around. And I said those awful things about you not being ready to be a leader, but… if anything, these last weeks have proved me so wrong.” She laughed a little. “You are a better leader - a better king than I could ever be.”

He smirked, and Lily immediately rolled her eyes. “Don’t let it get to your head. But James, if I had to get married to someone, I’m glad it was you.”

“Mm. Me too.” He swept her into a quick hug. They stepped away, and Lily took a deep breath, flashing a smile. “Let’s go.”


	7. Chapter Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoy!! :)) hopefully it's not too much of a cliffhanger!

Sirius, Marlene, Remus, Nicholas, Dumbledore, Moody and a few others were clustered in the kitchen, each geared and ready to go. Moody was going through the plan one last time, and nodded at James and Lily as they joined the group. Once he finished, everyone said their last goodbyes, and slowly filed out the door. 

The plan had really begun last night, when Nicholas and his friends had spent the day and late into the evening spreading the word that something finally was going to happen. 

From there, the plan was simple. Lily, Nicholas and James would sneak in the Palace from the East side, Marlene and Remus from the West. Sirius would lead anyone that came to help in an attack through the gates once the gates were opened. It wasn’t a great plan, but they didn’t have much chance against Riddle. 

Once they were within distance of the Palace, Lily pulled into a side alley, and held out her hands. Nicholas and James were both dressed in soldier’s guard uniforms, the black cloth mixing with the shadows of the alley, and carried rifles on their shoulders. They each had silver breastplates and helmet. James pulled a pair of handcuffs from his belt, and gestured to Lily to turn around. 

He strapped the cuffs on her, and grabbed one of her arms, while Nick took the other.

“Ready?” Nick asked Lily, who nodded, then stopped. “Wait. I just got captured. I need to look a little frazzled.”

James frowned. “I’m not going to beat you up, if that’s -”

Lily rolled her eyes. “Fine, Nick, can you -”

“No! I’ll do it,” James jumped as Nick nodded. “I got it.” James said forcefully. He took a step back. “Sorry Lily -”

He swung a fist into her stomach, and as she doubled over, swung at her head. The punch landed on her cheek, and she could feel his wedding ring scrape her skin. Lily lifted her head, and smiled at James. “Thanks.” He couldn’t look at her, staring past her at the wall. She could feel the blood trickling down her cheek, but she ignored it, and tugged her tunic out of place. When she was ready, they grabbed her arms again and lead her out into the harsh streets. 

People moved out of their way quickly as Nick and James marched her down the street toward the Palace. She could even see a few heads turn, recognizing the girl in handcuffs. She raised her chin purposely, walking quickly to keep up with her captor’s quick pace. When the reached one of the side entrances, two guards quickly opened the door for them. 

They walked down a dark hallway and turned right. Lily glanced at James to see if he recognized this hallway. He seemed to know where he was going, but she was completely lost, so she let him lead.

Once they were out of sight of any other guards, James slid the key into her cuffs and unlocked them. Finally free, they tore down another hallway, checking quickly before rounding any corner. They had originally entered from the East, and James was leading them South, towards the gatehouse.

As they turned right, James held up a hand. “It’s just around this corner. We know the drill - come in blazing.” As they had planned, James told them that there was always a squad of soldiers stationed outside of the gatehouse, and two more inside. The guards typically rotated every four hours, starting at noon. It was nearly 2 o’clock, just in the point of the shift where guards became less alert. Lily pulled out her pistol, gripping it firmly and sliding the safety off, while holding her knife in the other hand. James and Nick propped their rifles on their shoulder, and Lily gave the signal. 

They rounded the corner, firing shot after shot at the shocked guards. There were six standing outside, and all fell before they could get their guns up. Two more rushed out from the small room, guns drawn, but they quickly fell to the ground next to the others. Lily jumped over them and into the room, checking it make sure it was clear. James and Nick quickly checked for any survivors, and then began pulling the dead bodies into the room. It was a small room, but a large window overlooked the courtyard and the gate. There were two guards stationed on either side of the gate down below, and Lily tried took at the gatehouse across the yard, but it was too far. 

She swore and helped drag in their bodies into the room. They rolled up the stained rug and stuffed it underneath the table, doing their best to hide it from view. Lily checked again, and she could make out Marlene waving the red flag out the window. Lily pulled out her watch from her pocket and set it on the table. 

“Five minutes James, and you open that gate. Nick and I will go - just be careful okay? Tell them the guards chased after the rebels. Hopefully no one will recognize you,” Lily said, meeting James’ eyes carefully. She tore them away, scared, set her gun on the table, and held out her hands. Nick stepped forward, and cuffed her behind her back. He grabbed her arm and lead her towards the door. 

Lily glanced over her shoulder once as she walked down the hallway. James looked like he was going to say something, but snapped his mouth closed tightly, and turned away. Nick marched her down the hallways, having memorized a map of the castle. Two squads of guards ran by them within seconds each other, and for both Nick stepped quietly out of the way. When they reached the main hall, Lily was surprised they had made it that far, half expecting someone to recognize her by now. 

If her timing was right, James and Marlene would just be opening the gate. Two minutes would pass, and then Sirius would march in with whoever he had. Lily couldn’t even imagine what she would do if no one came, and unfortunately that was a real possibility. They didn’t get far into the open hall before someone stopped them. 

“Who is this?” The man asked, a 3rd Officer. 

Nicholas spread his shoulder proudly. “Former Queen Lily, sir. She was caught trying to sneak into the Palace.”

“Where is the rest of your patrol?”

“There were two more rebels with her, sir. They chased after them after securing her. I’m under direct orders to bring her directly to Lord Riddle.”

The man eyed Nick for a moment, then ran his eyes over Lily, taking in her disheveled appearance. She met his eye proudly, and he nodded. “Very well. Officer Edmund! Escort them to Lord Riddle immediately.”

Another patrol quickly surrounded the two, and marched them towards the throne room. Lily didn’t dare look at Nick, trying to keep her heart under control. It was bursting out of her chest, and she was sure it was echoing throughout the room. Nick squeezed her arm quickly before the large oak doors swung open. 

Riddle sat at a desk, writing a note. His head didn’t rise as the group moved to stand before him. 

“I believe I asked specifically that I not be disturbed, Officer Edmund.“ He finally raised his head, and his face shifted from annoyed to surprised as he scanned the group.

“My dear Queen Lily, it has been too long.“ He was wearing a long black robe that seemed to emit darkness. The room seemed much darker since the last time she had been in here. There were fewer lights, more guards, and the shadows seemed much deeper. Riddle tilted his head, surveying her. 

He waved his hands. “Clear the room,“ He commanded, sweeping his hands out from his robes, and walking slowly towards Lily. Nick squeezed her arm once more but left with the other guards, leaving Lily alone.

Riddle stopped a few inches from Lily, a few inches taller than her. Lily looked him directly in the eye, forcing herself to remain calm. His eyes were black, darker than anything she had ever seen. Uncontrollably, she shivered, and the corners of his mouth turned up in satisfaction. 

“Lily, Lily. I would have thought you would have thought this through more carefully. Severus thought you might do something exactly like this.” He walked around her slowly, his boots clacking against the stones. Lily remained silent. “Unfortunately, you have me bested in one area.” He looped back, and sat down on his throne, throwing his cape over his shoulder. “You are creating a distraction, and my guards are on the lookout, but I don’t know what you are planning.”

Lily cocked her head. “Like I’d tell you, you cowering piece of -”

Riddle stood up suddenly, waving his hands. “Let me rephrase my question. I already know your friends are raising the gate, and that shortly your army will be storming the gates. James, I think was with you? He should be here any minute. But, what were you planning if you had been successful?”

Lily’s eyes blazed at the mention of James’s name. There was no way Riddle could have known that, and yet somehow, he did. There was a traitor among them, and they had failed _miserably_. Lily couldn’t even speak, stunned. 

Riddle let out a loud laugh, echoing throughout the empty room. “What were you planning to do, Lily? Do you really think the people would listen to a peasant like you? You aren’t even worthy to wipe the mud off anyone’s shoes - how could you have even thought that you could control Italy any better than me?”

Lily raised her head enraged. She was seeing red, red from the blood she’s seen spilt, red from the blood on her hands, red from her dreams at night, and red from Riddle’s ignorance. “If you haven’t noticed, there are riots everyday, people fighting with each other, against _your_ guards. I rallied them up against the King before James, and now you. And you can’t do anything about it. No one believes the lies you tell except for you.”

“Mm, and if they all die in the battle today, and their families go into mourning, there’s no one left to fight against me.”

“You’re delusional,” Lily spat, hissing. “I started the ball rolling, and if you kill me or James, you won’t last long on the throne.”

There was a bang on the door, and Riddle smiled, but didn’t look away from Lily. “Come in.”

The door opened, and Lily twisted her head to see James, being dragged through the door, bloody and disheveled, by two guards. He raised his eyes to meet Lily’s but didn’t even seem to acknowledge her. Marlene and Sirius were nowhere to be seen, but only Lily was supposed to be captured - something had gone horribly wrong. 

The guards dropped him near her in a heap and exited the room. Riddle waited until he had pulled himself, infuriatingly slow, onto his knees, head tilted back stop blood from dripping in his eyes. 

“Potter, I was just telling Evans that I was terribly saddened when your father passed away. It’s a shame it happened so soon.” Riddle walked in a slow circle around them. “I wish it hadn’t been so painful for him, but I must admit, he lasted longer than I thought he would.”

Lily’s jaw dropped, and she turned her head to see James, trembling from head to toe. “It was you?” He whispered. 

Riddle waved a hand, as if talking about what he wanted for dinner. “Not me specifically. Although, I was hoping you’d be more heavily influenced by the council.” 

“You killed my father?” James said again, louder this time. Lily had never even thought that Riddle might have had in the elder Potter’s sudden sickness. And if she thought about it, she had never really asked James about his father, even if she met him two weeks after his passing. If she wasn’t so shocked, she would have kicked herself for it. 

James tried to stand, wrenching desperately at his handcuffs. “I’LL MURDER YOU, YOU SON OF A WHORE -” He ran unsteadily at Riddle, spit flying from his beet red face. Riddle sidestepped him easily. When Potter turned back around, in one fluid motion, Riddle stepped behind Lily, hoisted her up, flipped a knife from his belt and held it tightly against her neck. It happened so fast that Lily barely realized what was happening. James stopped dead in his tracks. Riddle laughed, a deep throaty laugh that Lily could feel in her chest, and shook her roughly, pricking her neck. 

“One more step boy, and I’ll murder your wife too,” Riddle snarled. James took a step back, pure hatred in his eyes. He still looked ready to charge at Riddle. 

“You, Ms. Evans, were an unfortunate stitch in my side,” He switched easily from a dark menacing voice to a more conversational tone, but kept the cold knife against her throat. “I just have a single question for you. I thought I could sway James over to my side, but when you stepped in, he was suddenly not easily influenced. So tell me this - why would Lily Evans, a dirt poor slut from the shanty town, marry James, but fight to get rid of the monarchy? You already had everything you needed - power, wealth, fame - so why get rid of it?”

Lily closed her eyes. When she opened them, she was surprised to see James had calmed down, but was now watching her carefully. _Did he still not trust her?_ A thousand thoughts flew around her mind, and she couldn’t pinpoint one, so she stalled.

“Then answer me this - Why would you let me go? You knew where our warehouse was, you knew who was there - why let us all go?” She was trying to distract him as long as possible, and avoid answering his earlier question. She wasn’t entirely sure of her answer, but she knew whatever she said would make James unhappy.

Riddle moved the knife from her neck and slithered it down, pressing just hard enough to draw blood, down towards her chest, stopping on her sternum. “Your dear friend, Severus Snape, exchanged information. He told me where you were hiding once I let you go.” He trailed the knife towards her shoulders, crisscrossing lightly across her chest, as he spoke. “You were a mere nuisance - just a silly game to entertain me. No one pays much attention to you, but if a whole group of people suddenly disappeared, it would be a problem. It was all just a game.”

Riddle wasn’t looking at James anymore, instead focused on the knife, so James took a hesitant step forward. Riddle noticed immediately, and slashed his knife deep across her chest. Lily gasped, surprised at the pain and the warm blood staining her shirt, but quickly blocked the pain out, forcing herself to remain calm. James took an immediate step back. “Stay back boy. That’s your only warning.”

“So, Lily, answer my question - Why would you fight to give up your power?” Riddle asked again. His nails were digging into her arms, and the knife had come to rest on her stomach now. Her chest was oozing blood, and she needed to stop it soon. Lily looked at James, but he wasn’t looking at her anymore, instead staring stony faced at the ground. Lily raised her head, ignoring the mind games Riddle was trying to play with her. 

“My best friend, when I was little,” She began, watching James. “Got pneumonia, because her father died in a factory accident, and when her mom missed work for the funeral, got fired. They had to live on the streets in the dead of winter, without any food or coats. We tried to help but we were just as poor as them. And then my dad died in a factory accident too, and I was so sick of people dying all around me that I decided something had to change.”

Riddle laughed deeply again. “Ah Lily, we are fighting for the same things here. We’re both trying to get of the filth that fills the streets.” Lily twisted suddenly so that she slipped out of his grasp before he could grab her, furious. “You are a lying bastard, Riddle. We were _never_ fighting for the same thing.” 

Like a snake, Riddle threw the knife at her hard enough to land in her stomach. Hands tied behind her back, she couldn’t stop the profuse blood flow, and tumbled on to the floor. James was instantly by her side, doing his best with tied hands to put pressure on the wound. Riddle called the guards in, and they ripped the two of them apart, forcing Lily to stand unsteadily, and James fighting against his captors, trying to reach her. “Both of you will be facing public execution tomorrow at noon. Take them both to the dungeons,” Riddle roared. A guard handed him a crisp piece of paper, and he read it quickly. “Your attempt to get into the Palace has failed, and that several of your leaders will be joining you tomorrow.” He stormed out of the room, black robes billowing around him. James was yelling her name, fighting to get away from the guards, but the room was moving in dizzying circle for Lily, and she couldn’t even walk straight. Distantly, she could hear the guards fight with James, and slowly the sounds grew quieter as he was beaten into submission. She was so _tired_ , and James was too far to reach, so she laid on the floor, helpless.

The guards dragged her, facedown, out of the room, the knife still embedded in her stomach. Her feet trailed behind her, stumbling every step, until finally a guard grabbed her legs and carried her deeper and deeper into the castle. They went down staircase after staircase until they finally reached the dungeous. There, they laid her on a wooden table, strapped her hands and feet down, and left. 

At this point, Lily had no coherent thoughts left. Her eyes were going black, but she could see a white blur move around her, and a sharp prick in her stomach. There was a wrench in her side, she might have screamed, and her eyes slid shut. 

James was faring no better. His fight had been pointless. Six guards had pummeled him with blows until he was a lump on the ground. Tears were leaking from his eyes, and not from the pain, but from Lily. Their plan had miserably failed, and they were going to die. There was no backup plan, and no help from the outside coming. It was a hard pill to swallow.

The guards forced James on his feet, but he refused to let them drag him, instead stumbling down the hallway on his own two feet. When they finally reached the slimy dungeons, they threw him in a miserable cell, alone. James leaped to his feet, as they locked the door behind them, screaming for Evans, screaming for Sirius, and Marlene and Nick. When he finally screamed himself hoarse, he slid down heavily against the wall and put his head in his hands.

James Potter, had rarely given up on anything in his entire life. He could have, when he was little, because he practically had the whole world handed to him. His parents loved him, but they were so busy that they have him nannies all day who catered to his every need. When he was ten, he had met Sirius, who was fiercely independent, and they did everything by themselves, pulling pranks, avoiding homework, and most importantly, exploring the Palace together. If it wasn’t for Sirius, James might have been a pompous, narcissist jerk his entire life - not that he wasn’t now, but he’d improved -, and if it hadn’t been for Remus, who they met a few years later, neither of them would have ever grown up. Remus was more serious, calm, but was also a fantastic, loyal friend. Somewhere along the way, Peter joined in, happy and bubbly and a welcome fourth friend. Because of this odd combination of friends, James Potter had rarely given up anything. If something didn’t work out, he’d just fix it and try again, encouraged by his friends. Which was why, him sitting there alone, terrified, and at a complete loss was a completely foreign experience to him. He had no idea what to do, and he was ready to give up. 

It had been almost three months since he and Lily got married, and three and half months since they had met. They were both still vastly different than the other, and could barely get a few sentences into a conversation without arguing. Their last argument threw both of them for a loop, and James knew he didn’t deserve forgiveness. He’d accused her of sacrificing her best friends, Emmeline and Fabian, to get his throne, even though he _knew_ she already blamed herself for it. On top of that, he had accused her of fighting for the throne, not for the people, when it was the exact opposite. She was unlike anyone he’d ever met.

Despite their fights and clashing opinions, they had grown to depend on each other. When Lily had gotten beaten up, he’d felt immediately guilty and had followed her around, an added security measure. Not that she needed it, but he couldn’t help himself. But now, without her by his side, not knowing if she was even alive, he felt lost knowing that she was in Riddle’s hands, sentenced to die, and he couldn’t do a damn thing about it. That hurt more than anything right now. 

James was broken. He was sitting in a dark cell no bigger than eight feet across, floor covered in a straw layer. The only light was from a torch just outside of his cell. The cell across from his was empty, and through the bars, he could see the stairs that led back up. Head in his hands, James lost track of time. It was hours later when he had finally tried to go to sleep, assuming it was nighttime, when there was a commotion on the stairs. He shot up, bones aching, to the bars, watching as a light grew brighter, and then two guards appeared, carrying Lily. James exhaled in relief, watching as they dumped her in his cell, locked the door, and left. 

She barely moved, and James’ heart leapt into his mouth. “Lily?” He called out, mouth dry. He reached out his bound hands and shook her gently at first, then rougher as she didn’t respond. Had they let her bleed out or was she just exhausted?

Lily’s eyes opened slowly, focusing on the bars first, then James. Carefully, she sat up, propping herself up against the wall, and lifted her shirt. Bandages covered her stomach, slightly stained red. She looked up at James with red eyes. “Are you okay?” She asked softly. 

He nodded, resting his head against the wall in relief. “Yeah. Did they stitch you up?”

“I think so. You have to be alive for them to execute you, right?” Lily laughed grimly. “What time is it?”

James shrugged, and sat back down. “Probably midnight. I lost track.”

They were quiet for a minute. Lily shifted around until she had made a pillow out of straw and leaned back, grunting at the sharp pain in her stomach. James had so many things to say to her, and yet couldn’t think of a single one. He scooted closer so that her head was against his legs. 

“When this is all over,” Lily whispered. “What are you going to do first?”

“You mean _if_ we get out.” Lily didn’t reply. They both knew it was pointless to think they would get out, but it was nice to imagine even for a brief second. “A nice big, juicy steak.”

Lily laughed lightly. “I’ll take a juicy peach. Or strawberries. And a shower would be nice.”

James grinned, but the overwhelming tension was too thick and they fell into somber silence.

“Get some sleep,” Lily whispered. “Big day tomorrow.”

Lily closed her eyes, and before long was asleep, exhausted beyond belief. But James couldn’t. Tomorrow, they would be killed, in front of their friends, their people, and Riddle would win. And not only James and Lily, but probably Sirius, Marlene and Nick. Martha would probably sob when she saw her grandson executed in front of her, and James hoped that she could forgive them for involving Nick like this.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> do we get together maybe???? or is it just angst still??? please leave a comment/kudos! :)

Dawn slowly approached, at least, James thought it had, and eventually Lily woke up. James helped her sit up, propping her up to avoid opening her stitches, and lean back against the wall next to him. She brushed her fingers through her hair, combing out the loose pieces of straw, and then looked at James, who was staring at the ground. 

“I’m sorry,” He suddenly blurted out. He couldn’t look at her, and he felt like he couldn’t breathe because he could feel her eyes, her familiar green eyes, watching at him. He took a deep breath, but Lily spoke first. “I’m sorry I got you into this,” she said quietly. 

“What?” James was surprised, not expecting that response. He twisted so that he was facing her. “I mean, Lily if you hadn’t… if you hadn’t forced me to look at the real problems, I would be a puppet to Riddle, with no idea what was going on outside of my own bubble.”

“But you’d be alive,” Lily whispered. Her eyes were smarting, and James wanted nothing more than to hold her tight in his arms, but couldn’t get himself to move.

“Better dead than a traitor,” James replied. Lily shook her head. 

“And James? You would never have played puppet to Riddle. When I met you, maybe you didn’t know everything, but you knew Riddle was up to something. I couldn’t have convinced you of something you had no idea about.” Lily bit her lip and clutched her stomach. “But you’d be alive,” Lily whispered. James closed his eyes and tilted his head back. His head was throbbing, and his numerous bruises seemingly pulsed. 

“Please….” His voice cracked. “Don’t blame this on yourself.”

Lily opened her mouth to say something, but the door from the stairs opened and slammed. A group of footsteps sounded on the stairs, and James pulled himself up. Lily couldn’t stand up without assistance, so she stayed put. Guards with red cloaks swept through the dungeons and threw open their doors. They grabbed James roughly and pulled Lily up. After being handcuffed, they marched them up the stairs, outside into the harsh sunlight, and into a black wagon. More guards surrounded them, and they took off through the streets. 

It was a sudden march to death. They had both half expected Riddle to visit them before noon, but before they knew it, they were behind a hastily built, raised wooden platform in the middle of the market. A curtain on the stage protected them from the public’s eye, but they could hear the murmurs of the crowd. The guards attached their handcuffs to the stage, leaving them unable to move, and stepped back, leaving James and Lily close together. 

Lily looked up at James, and squeezed his hand quickly, but didn’t let go. “We’ll be ok,” James said hoarsely. 

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah.” Lily looked over her shoulder, but the guards were far enough away that they couldn’t hear him. “I’m not worried about me. I’m worried about them.”

She didn’t have to say more. He felt the same way. He had been born to lead, raised from birth to help and protect his people. And in less than six months of becoming King, he had failed, leaving his people to fend for themselves under Riddle’s rule. James' eyes were heavy and sorrowful, and he knew that if he didn’t do it now, he’d regret it for the rest of his short life. But not wanting to be overbearing, James leaned towards her, closed his eyes and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead, then rested his forehead against hers. There was a shout from behind the curtain, and James started pulling away. But Lily pressed herself against him, arms banging in front of them, and kissed him. His eyes flew open, but he responded almost immediately, lifting his handcuffed hands to stroke her cheek. Her lips were chapped and peeling, and his face was dirty and bruised. Their lips moved together, bumping into the other, savoring every second they had. Lily let out a sigh, and James pulled away, resting his head against hers. James and Lily didn’t say anything - how could they? They had only minutes to live.

There were two successive shots from the platform, and the guards approached, yanking them apart and unhooking them from the stage. James was led up first, glancing behind him one last time. He hoped that he was killed second so that Lily didn’t have to see him die.

James squinted as he looked out over the crowd, but it was too bright to see much. The platform had two foreboding nooses hung next to each other. To the left of the platform, Marlene and Sirius stood, surrounded by guards. They made eye contact, and James gave them a single nod. Guards lined the back, and Riddle sat, arms crossed in front of them, to the right of the stairs. He gestured towards James, and the guards shoved him towards the noose. He looked back over his shoulder to see Lily forcefully shove the guard's hands from her and walk, straight back, to her noose, chin held high. She didn’t look at him, instead, staring out at the crowd. He spat at Riddle, although too far away to hit, and then stood like Lily. 

A ripple flew through the crowd as Lily stood on the chair, and another as James followed suit. Then Riddle stood, raising a hand for silence.

“Traitors, to your country. People you _trusted_ , using power to their advantage, not yours. Evan and Potter may have said they were on your side, but what did they ever do for you?” Riddle moved behind Lily, then James.

“Is this who you want to lead you?” Lily shouted, breaking free momentarily. She tried to speak again but the guards shoved a rag in her mouth. James, emboldened by Lily, began shouting too. 

“Riddle won’t protect you. He destroys others for his own gain -”

Riddle pulled a gun from his holster and aimed it squarely at James’ head. Another guard pointed his at Lily, and -

There was an earth-shattering boom from the right of the platform, and Lily saw a burst of white, then red, erupt. It pulsed over her and threw her back. The world went dark for a long minute. When she woke up, she was lying twisted on her back, leg at a sickening angle. She could hear faint screams, and there was a loud ringing in her ears. Nothing was standing still, and she couldn’t understand why there was so much red. And she was so hot, so hot, but she couldn’t move her body, couldn’t get it to respond. She twisted her head and could see James, crawling towards from her. She could see he was yelling something, screaming, but he was too far away, and there was too much red.

James was on fire. That much he could tell. There was screaming all around him, and everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. He’d flown off the platform from the explosion, a gash in his cheek, his clothes on fire, but otherwise, he was alright. Slowly, he dropped to the ground and rolled, extinguishing the fire. He couldn’t pick his feet up fast enough to find Lily, his hands were still handcuffed, and without his hands, he tripped over fallen bodies and wooden beams. Lily had been closer to the blast, and James had no idea where she had landed. 

The platform was engulfed in flames. People rushed by him, left and right, trying to escape the scorching heat. He couldn’t see Riddle or the guards, but he had to get them out before they regrouped. Scanning the destroyed marketplace, he couldn’t see Lily’s body, so he ran head first towards the platform. There was too much smoke, and he couldn’t see, so he dropped to his knees, crawling towards the middle. Lily lay there, burned and battered. There was a curse behind him, and he could faintly hear a gun click, even among all the noise. 

Riddle stood over him, coughing while cocking an unwavering gun at James’ head and covered in splinters. He had no reason to hesitate, and Riddle knew it. He raised the gun to land squarely at James’ forehead and fired. 

Not one second earlier, Sirius, who had escaped his captors, shot at Riddle. He toppled over, but not before his gun dropped and fired directly into James’ leg. James fell back, hands still tied. Riddle was scrambling for his gun, but James was too far away to help so he turned to crawl back to Lily. The fire was getting hotter, and the smoke thicker. His leg didn’t hurt, adrenaline coursing through him, but he couldn’t walk, so he dragged himself towards her, screaming her name. When he finally reached her, things seemed to slip back into real time. Flames cackled around them, licking at their clothes. Lily was unconscious, hands still bound in front of her. James cradled her broken body, tears leaking out. 

Sirius was saying something to him. Riddle was gone, that much James could understand, and Sirius wanted James to leave Lily, but he _couldn’t_. She had done too much for him to just leave her to die because of an explosion. After everything she had accomplished, an explosion seemed to be the wrong way to go. She deserved a happy ending, not him. Sirius tossed the gun away, and hoisted James up, before grabbing Lily’s arms. James grabbed her feet, and as fast as he could limp, they carried her through the flames and into breathable air.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaanndd the final chapter is here! I know the last chapter was a bit of a cliffhanger but this all wraps it up! Please PLEASE leave a comment/kudos to let me know what you thought, how I can improve my writing, etc (honestly, I welcome any feedback:)). also a huge thank you to all those who helped along the way!!
> 
> find me on tumblr @jilyss

When Lily woke up, she was in a clean hospital gown, in clean linen sheets, in the Palace. It took her a moment for this to register, her eyes focusing in and out. Her mind felt fuzzy, like cotton balls had replaced her brain, and the room was rotating slowly in dizzying circles. She sat up, clutching her stomach. The beds were all filled, some partitioned off, some with sleeping bodies, but she couldn’t see any available nurses or doctors. 

 

_ James _ .

 

The thought of him immediately filled her with worry. Was she in Riddle’s hands? Was James even alive? Where was Sirius and Marlene and Remus and Peter? The thought of them dead made her want to puke. But Riddle still had to be in charge. There was no way that they had been able to take over, and Lily felt a pit set in her stomach. There was a movement in one of the beds at the end of the row as a women shifted, and Lily made a quick decision before any guards appeared. 

 

Grabbing a metal tray from a desk near her, she slipped out of bed, swallowing a groan as her muscles ached and heaved. There was a cast on her right leg, as well as her left arm, her chest was padded with bandages from her encounter with Riddle, and a cut on her cheek was stitched together. She padded as quietly as she could to the door, and out into the empty hallway. There were no guards to be seen and an eerie silence was settled over the Palace. Lily knew something was off, but there was only way to find out for sure. 

 

It was only three rights and a left before she stood in front of the throne room. Every step was pure agony, and she had to lean against the wall every few feet to catch her breath. She put her ear to the door, and she could hear quiet murmuring inside. Taking a deep, grating, agonizing breath, she threw open the door and hobbled inside. A guard rushed at her, pulling out his gun, but before he could raise it, she slammed the tray over his head, and he tumbled to the ground. There was distant shouting from the table, and the guards stopped moving against her.  _ Riddle must want me alive _ , she thought vaguely. She slammed the tray into another’s stomach before the exertion made her hunch over, one arm tight around her stomach. 

 

A pair of strong arms surrounded her, and she tried to fight, but she was already so tired, and her chest was on fire, and the room was swimming. Stars came, and then darkness fell. 

 

The next time Lily woke up, the room was too bright, and she could barely even squint into the sunlight. When she’d finally adjusted, she was in the same bed, but with a new, clean gown. Sirius was dozing in a chair next to the bed, head leaning against the arm of the chair. 

 

“Sirius?” She choked out. His head shot up, and he grinned broadly at her.

 

“Hey Evans,” he said. A sense of relief at hearing him say those two simple words passed over her, and she relaxed into the bed. He ran a hand through his frazzled hair. 

 

Lily watched him, not sure of what to ask. She had too many questions to even say one. “You’re safe now, you’re with me, I promise,” Sirius said, grabbing her hand tightly, sensing that she was overwhelmed. “Riddle’s dead. He’s gone, and you’re safe.” Lily nodded, looking around the partitioned room, a green curtain separating them from outside view. She could see a few nurses bustling around the room, treating patients, and changing bandages.

 

“Lily,” He said softly. His voice broke and he looked away. “James, Marlene and Remus are all okay. Nick too.”

 

Lily nodded again. “Peter?”

 

Sirius sighed, rubbing a hand over his eyes. “Moody, Dumbledore, and Peter all were killed. They were standing right next to the blast. I’m so… so sorry Lily.” He twisted his hands as he spoke. “Someone set off a bomb and you got thrown a ways. You broke your leg and arm. There’s burns on your chest next to the cut Riddle gave you, the knife wound to your stomach, and the impact gave you a concussion.”

 

Lily furrowed her brow. She didn’t feel any pain, she was just exhausted. It must have been medicine that numbed her. “How many… died?” She choked out. 

 

“Twenty-six. And another fifty or so from when we attacked Riddle.”

 

She nodded, processing that number. It was a miracle she was still alive. “How long was I out?” 

 

“Two days the first time. Then you woke up and took out two guards before we could sedate you. And then you slept for another... day and half.”

 

Lily’s face turned red. “I thought Riddle was still in control. I didn’t want to become his -”

 

“Yeah, I know,” Sirius cut in. “You came hobbling in, but we couldn’t stop you for a minute. We’ve been so swamped the last few days, and with so many patients, we made another makeshift hospital in the great hall. The doctors were split, and our trustworthy guards are spread far and thin, so no one saw you leave. The guards were fine, but their ego’s may have been damaged.” He laughed, still gripping her hand. “But Riddle’s gone now.” 

 

“Did you find Fabian and Emmeline?”

 

He shook his head and sighed, shoulders slumping forward. “James spent hours looking for them, but so far no luck. If they’re still alive, they aren’t in the Palace anymore. We’re trying to interrogate Riddle’s men at the moment, but things are still too chaotic.”

 

Lily swallowed, but moved on. It wouldn’t help to dwell on things she couldn’t fix, but once this was all over, she would find out what had happened to them. “Are you alright?” 

 

Sirius nodded. “A little bruised, but the platform absorbed most of the blast before it got to me.” Lily drew in a long breath, but it immediately turned into a rahling cough, and she clutched at her chest. Sirius leaped forward, helping her sit back and lean against a pile of pillows. 

 

“Easy Lils, easy. You inhaled a lot of smoke.”

 

Sirius slipped into a explanation, talking softly. Once Lily had been delivered to Riddle, James had snuck back to join the main fight at the front gates. But things had gone south quickly. Even with their preparation, volunteers, and stolen supplies, there were just too many soldiers. Once they saw the slaughter, Sirius, Marlene, and James turned themselves with the promise of letting the civilians go. James was ripped away from them, while Sirius and Marlene had been kept in a separate cell.

 

When the bomb had gone off, Sirius was still standing next to the platform, waiting for Lily and James to be executed before it was his and Marlene’s turn. Nick and Remus had been able to escape Riddle’s clutches, but was in the crowd that day, helpless. In the explosion, Marlene broke her ankle, and was trapped under a fallen beam. People were screaming all around them, and trampling each other to get out of the way, but Sirius stayed calm. He pulled the beam off her and helped her hide in an alley. 

 

As soon as she was safe, he rushed back to find James and Lily, tearing through the burning wood and scorching flames. A dead guard had dropped his gun in the chaos, and Sirius had spotted it among the rubble. Sirius swept it up, seeing Riddle aim at James, and fired just in time, hitting Riddle square in the back. Riddle dropped like a puppet cut from his strings, and his gun discharged, hitting James in the leg. Sirius, as he felt the hairs on his arms start to smoke, somehow managed to get both Lily and James out before the fire had reached the overhead beams, which collapsed only moments later. The casualties had mainly come from the group surrounding the stage, and the guards standing on top of the bomb. 

 

“No one knows who set the bomb,” Sirius explained, shrugging his shoulders. “There’s a rumor going around that they were just an ordinary citizen, inspired by… you and James to make a change.”

 

Lily grimaced. “I wish they hadn’t done it that way though.” Sirius smiled, stretching. “I’m trying to get a new council started before you and James decide what you want to do. I’ll see you later, ok? Get some sleep.”

 

Lily nodded. Sirius left, hobbling down the rows of beds. A few minutes later, he was replaced by a bustling nurse, poking and prodding at Lily. 

 

Lily drifted in and out sleep for the next few days. Sometimes she woke up alone, but most of the time Marlene, Remus or Sirius were sitting there, patiently waiting for her to wake up. Even Nick and Martha came to visit for a few minutes. But James never came to visit. When she asked Sirius about him, he avoided the question by offering to get her more food, distracting her long enough for her to forget until he left. Lily knew he had to be busy, but she missed him. They had been together for so long that without him she felt a little lost. She missed the funeral for Moody, Dumbledore and Peter because she was still to weak to move, but Marlene brought her back flowers and cried with her when she awoke later. 

 

When she was finally able to move back to her room, her cut along her face had mostly healed, but her other injuries were still painful to walk farther than the bathroom. They wheeled her down the long hallways in a wheelchair and took her into her and James’ bedroom. It was exactly the same as they had left it, except there were a pile of blankets and pillows on the couch, and the bed was neatly made. Last time they had slept in this room, they had made sure to always put everything from the couch back on the bed to avoid suspicion or any nasty rumors. So why were they still there? 

 

Lily was feeling up to a challenge, so Sirius and Remus helped her out of the wheelchair and onto the balcony overlooking the gardens. She leaned heavily on them for support, moving slowly, but they were patient and cheerful. She was just laughing at something Remus said when James, burst through the door, holding a book and leaning on a cane. He stopped dead when he saw Lily staring at him. Remus and Sirius exchanged a look and left quietly, a first for Sirius. James barely noticed, instead moving closer to Lily. 

 

“Hey,” James said sheepishly. He put his book down on the nightstand and shoved his hands in his pockets. 

 

“Where have you been?” Lily asked, leaning against the railing, arms crossed. She wasn’t exactly angry with him, but with her emotions mixed in with her royal duties, she wasn’t sure how to react. 

 

“Can I be honest?” He stood in the balcony doors and pushed on before she could answer. “I’m not sure where we stand.” He blew out his breath, and tossed his cane to the side. “After everything that happened, I wasn’t sure if you wanted to go back to rebuild the Order or stay Queen or... I’m sorry- I just didn’t know what to say and...”

 

“The Order was illegal James, you shouldn’t be encouraging it,” Lily said quietly, corners of her mouth turning up, but she was still too upset to smile at him. The tension was still floating around them in an angry buzz, and her heart was beating quicker. “It’s disbanding anyway. Without Dumbledore, and with a competent King, we don’t need it anymore.”

 

He nodded. “Yeah. So do you want to stay Queen?” That was the real question, and she didn’t know how to answer without knowing how he felt. She bit her lip and motioned for him to join her, turning to look out at the gardens. He did so, hands still in his pockets. 

 

“I think - I want to help our country in whatever way possible. We could form a constitutional monarchy, or keep our existing government in place. At the moment, if we… divorced it might fracture the country further. Things are still uneasy. No one trusts us right now.”

 

“I think the council should be voted in by the public, to help direct the King and Queen. With the proper rules and restrictions, it should be fair to everyone, right?”

 

“Yeah. So... we wait a few years to get divorced?” 

 

James nodded, then smirked. “Guess you’re stuck with me for a little longer.” Lily tipped her head back, laughing lightly. He straightened from where was leaning on the doorway, and moved towards the door. But they still hadn’t talked about their kiss, and neither was willing to break the ice.

 

“I’m sorry about your father,” Lily said quickly. “I mean - I’m sorry I wasn’t more comforting when he passed away, but learning that Riddle -”

 

James waved a hand. “It’s alright. I - He’s -I don’t want to talk about it.” His voice was strained and his hands were twisting angrily. 

 

“Ok. Just… know I’m here for you this time, yeah?”

 

“Yeah.” He turned to leave. She could see his tight back muscles tensed underneath his tunic, and regretted bringing his father up. Of course he didn’t want to talk about it - she felt the same way about Alice, Frank, Fabian, and Emmeline - her dead friends that she was never able to properly mourn for.  

 

Lily knew that she wanted him to stay longer, but with the taught tension between them, she didn’t know what to say. She had felt so useless laying in bed because it gave her time to think, like  _ really  _ think. Sirius and Remus had refused to let her do any Queenly duties, insisting that she rest. It had only taken her a day of absolute boredom with no visits from James to realize that she was in love with him. But everything was messy. They weren’t supposed to be married for love, but for political gain and power. If she got rejected, she was still stuck with him for at least a few years, and every day would be horrifyingly awkward. On top of that, their kiss behind the platform before their executions had been intense, but she had chalked that up as nerves and desperation, no matter how bad she had wanted it then or now. So she bit her tongue, waiting for him to make the first move. At the moment, Riddle seemed pale in comparison to facing her emotions. 

 

James opened the balcony door before turning to look back at Lily, one foot in and one out. She was leaning against the railing, mouth parted slightly, watching him. Her fierce red hair was dancing in the breeze and she was watching him closely, thoughts swirling rapidly around her head. He opened his mouth to say something, but snapped it shut, shaking his head. Her breath hitched, just audible enough for him to hear, and her eyes darkened. 

 

His hands dropped to his sides helplessly and he took two big steps before grabbing her shoulders, drawing her close to him. She tilted her head back, and their lips  _ finally _ met, clashing together like fire and ice. Her back hit the railing as her knees buckled and she moved her hands from his shoulders up to curl in his hair. The kiss was passionate and desperate, and she could feel both of them put everything they had into it, letting go temporarily of everything else. Their lips and teeth tangled together in a frenzied, bruising dance, and her heart was beating a mile a minute. She let out a moan as his tongue grazed her bottom lip, and she could feel him smile against her lips. She could taste him - like mint and strawberries, somehow the perfect combination, and perfectly  _ James _ . One hand slid down to rest on her hip, and another moved to her shoulder, then back to her hair, his fingers digging into her skin. Lily broke away for a minute, resting her forehead on his, gasping for air. “You’d have thought that for a married couple, we would have done this a  _ long _ time ago,” Lily said, eyes still closed. 

 

James grinned. “We’re both too stubborn to do things the normal way. There had to be a minor rebellion and a few injuries before anything could happen, right?” He caught her lips again, this time a slow, lingering kiss. “Damn Lily, I…”

 

“Think you’re the hero we all deserve? Fittest wife you’ve ever had?” Lily finished, tracing her hands along his toned chest, and tilting her head back to wink at James. She’d waited a long time to do that, whether or not she had known it, and judging by the way James was stroking her hair, he felt the same. James just shook his head, and pressed a kiss on the hollow of her throat, and she groaned contently. 

 

“I thought I lost you for a few days. We weren’t sure you were going to make it.” James tipped his head back, blinking rapidly. He pressed a sweet kiss to her hair. 

 

Lily kissed his neck, trailing up to his lips. “I’m here now,” She whispered. “And we made it.” 

 

They were silent for a moment, listening to the distant bustle of the palace, the breeze whistling between them and grateful for the comfort the other provided. James shifted so that they were both looking at the gardens. “When did you realize?” James asked. “I mean, when did you realize that you were-”

 

“In love?” Lily finished, then thought for a moment. “I stopped denying it when I was in the hospital, but… it probably started when you started coming everywhere with me after that attack. Before… before I always felt alone, even a bit with Marlene and Dorcas. But you understand everything because you - you’re in the same position I am, and I think one day, it just kind clicked into place.”

 

James nodded, but stayed silent, watching the workers move around, repairing the damaged Palace. 

 

“I realized the night we escaped from Riddle the first time, after Martha and Nicholas took us in,” He finally said. His hair ruffled in the breeze, and Lily had to resist the urge to touch it again. 

 

“That long ago?” 

 

“Yeah. I don’t know if anyone's told you Lily, but I - you’re amazing. You had just found out your best friend -”

 

“-former best friend-”

 

“-had betrayed you to your worst enemy and that he was coming to capture us all. We got everyone evacuated, and then you had to run on a broken ankle at a breakneck speed forever, but you didn’t give up. And when Martha was fixing you up, you didn’t make a sound.” He paused. “I-I mean I tried to deny it for maybe a day, but remember when you broke down crying?” Lily nodded. She hated crying because she felt so weak after it, but that day she hadn’t been able to keep it in. “You were so close to me and when you pulled away, I wanted to keep you with me forever, and then I knew I was screwed.” He shook his head, looking into her sparkling green eyes. Lily pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek, more than content to stand here with him, but he pulled her into a hurried kiss, as if he needed to check that she was still there in his arms. 

 

Their hands fisted in the other’s hair, pressing closer and closer. Lily ran her hands up and down his back while he littered her neck with kisses, sucking sweetly. She played with the buttons on his shirt while he pulled them away from the railing and back into the room, shutting the doors behind them. He tugged at her top, lifting it over her head, but stopped abruptly when he saw the jagged scar that ran from her right shoulder to the bottom of her ribcage, and a blistering burn covered lightly by a bandage. Lily closed her eyes and reached for her shirt, embarrassed at the extent her injuries, but he held it behind his back and pressed kisses up and down the scar. 

 

“Maybe once I’m healed we can -”

 

“I don’t give a  _ damn _ what you look like Lily, I want  _ you _ -”

 

Lily turned away from him, hobbling towards the bed and laughing. “That’s sweet James, but considering my stitches might open if I get too  _ excited _ , I think it might not be a good idea to…” 

 

James nodded sheepishly, understanding now, and ran a hand through his tousled hair. “Reckon Marlene and Sirius saw that first kiss behind the platform?”

 

Lily cocked her head. “No. Neither of them are good at keeping secrets - everyone would be bothering us by now if they had.” James grabbed his cane from where he had dropped it and helped her sit on the bed. “What happened to you?” Lily asked, pointing to his leg. 

 

James sat and pulled up his pants leg. A bandage covered most of his leg, crisscrossing back and forth. He grinned. “It’s the same leg as last time.” He sobered a little, but the smile remained. “I’ll have a limp for sure now, but the bullet didn’t hit the bone. At least this time, I can finally let it heal properly.” He let his pant leg fall back down and laid back on the bed, one arm tucked underneath his head. Any tension between them before had utterly evaporated and a feeling of comfortable ease now rested between them. Lily carefully scooted herself next to him and turned away, grabbing his hand and tucking it against her chest. He shifted quickly, kicking off his shoes and untucking his shirt, before pulling her tightly to him. “Get some rest Lily,” He murmured, voice low. She could feel his voice rumble in his chest and down through her core. Slowly, their breaths became in sync, and the comforting presence of James made her drift off into a peaceful sleep. James fell asleep soon after Lily. 

  
When neither Lily or James showed to dinner that night, Sirius was sent to check on them. Per usual, instead of knocking, he burst through the door, intending to shout something until he saw them curled together on top of the covers, fast asleep. He grinned widely, muttered a quick  _ thank you _ to the heavens, and shut the door. If anyone deserved rest, he decided, it was James and Lily Potter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please let me know what you thought! this was a monster of a fic to write, but I loved it every second!


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